Supernatural Secrets
by redashrose
Summary: When Racheal Moore is left without any family and is in desprate need of a home, who else but Taylor Lockwood's mother would offer her a place to stay? But Racheal's got a secret and she's soon to find out she's not the only one.
1. prologue

I wasn't much of a religious person. I was never a judgmental person either. So how did I end up passing judgment on everyone? It doesn't make since.

Every time someone evil comes near me they get hurt. I see them and I lose control. I make sure they suffer just like they're victims did. I make them wish they were dead. Then the time came that I couldn't stop myself from granting that wish. But I sense all the pain they've caused people and it's impossible for me to stop. I lose myself no matter where I am or who I'm with and I attack.

It's gotten better now. I'm fine as long as I stay from any big cities and I avoid eye contact with people but it isn't easy. The world's filled with so much evil and it isn't black and white like in the movies. In Snow White it was clear from the beginning that the step mother was an evil witch who couldn't do anything nice for anyone but herself. In the real world there's no clear black and white, good or evil. We all have a little bit of both in us.

That's why I was so relieved when I found a home after running away. The people who adopted me were clearly good, there was no doubt in my mind that I would be safe and so it was easy to let my guard down. But when they died I had to run away again because I couldn't be sure where I was safe and who was safe with me. So I ran.

Mystic falls seemed like a good place to run to. It seemed like a close nit town with good people and it wasn't a populated area. I thought it would be safe. But in a town like this it's easy to get in too deep. It's easy to let your guard down and let people in. But what do you do when you realize it's not safe and you had already let your guard down? What if it was too late and you were already in too deep?

When you meet people that make you care and break down your walls, wouldn't you do anything to protect them? Even if it means you have to protect them from yourself? I always gave myself rules to keep myself at a safe distance from people but it's not working here. And I need to figure things out before I lose everything and everyone that matters to me, including myself.


	2. Chapter 1

**I'm not sure just how far I'll go with this story yet, It's just an idea I couldn't get out of my head so I decided to go for it, but if everyone likes it (and I'm hoping you will) I can go deeper into this story and maybe you guys will be kind enough to let me know what you want in your reviews (if I'm lucky enough to get any) which I would really appreciate because I'm all for your ideas and opinions! **

It was freezing outside when I set a blanket down to nape on the ground of the Mystic Falls cemetery. I had just run here and I didn't have the job or money to get a place to stay yet. All I had was a couple of keepsakes in my backpack and I didn't trust myself to let myself be around people just yet so I laid down and prepared for a rough night.

I was just starting to drift off when an uncomfortable felling crept over me and I tensed instantly. I always got this feeling before something bad happened. I could sense danger so I jumped up on my feet and tensed, trying to show fearlessness, hoping it would keep people away from me.

"Who's there?" I demanded, my voice shaking

I could've sworn I heard a ghost like chuckle and I started to panic. This couldn't happen now, not before I even got the chance to stay somewhere for awhile.

"I'm warning you, I'm not someone you want to mess with" I said, threatening yet warningly

I started shaking a little and that's when I knew there was something evil nearby. I wasn't scared the way a normal person would be. Not in the teenage girl in the horror films about to get eaten kind of way. I was afraid that I would lose myself again and someone would get hurt.

I heard a crunching sound behind me and turned around. I could make out the features of a woman but I couldn't see her face and this made me confused. What would a women be doing out in the middle of a cemetery at night? I could feel myself start to shake again and I became more confused. The women in front of me didn't look like she was capable of hurting a fly let alone a person and yet I could feel the evil radiating off of her like a beam.

I was terrified now that I would become taken over again and hurt someone who was possibly innocent but then I could hear the sirens heading for the cemetery and I unconsciously turned my head in the direction the sirens were coming from. The huge commotion going on behind me made me jittery but I managed to turn back to find…nobody. She must have seen the sirens and took off for some reason.

"This is the police, show yourself and put your hands where I can see them" a voice from one of the cop cars demanded

I completely turned myself to see the cops and other complete strangers staring at me like a bug under a microscope.

"Hey Russ" I heard another voice behind me "It looks like some of the tomb stones were smashed back here"

I was in so much trouble.


	3. Chapter 2

**A few people have already read the beginning of my story which puts me in a state of happy shock! You all seem like awesome people! I really hope everyone likes and reviews. And I'm sorry if my chapters are starting off short.**

I was terrified in the back the police car. Nothing good could come out of me spending time in prison. I was silent the whole way there as I tried to stay calm and keep myself in check. The police station in Mystic falls was small and I started to feel as if the walls were closing in on me. They put me into one of those rooms for questioning and left me there to freeze and quack in fear.

"Hello, I'm Ms. Forbes"

Someone had finally come in to talk to me. I took a quick glance at them and then stared at the floor. Ms. Forbes was a woman in her thirties with short blonde hair, light blue eyes, and a strong face. The man behind her had short curly black hair and piercing green eyes. I had a feeling that if they did the good cop, bad cop routine this would get ugly.

"I'm Mr. Thomson; would you like to tell me what you were doing in the cemetery in the middle of the night?"

"I was sleeping" I said sheepishly

"You know we have hotels for that" he said sarcastically

"Sean" Ms. Forbes said, getting testy already "What he means is, why the cemetery? Why didn't you try to find somewhere to stay in town?"

"I'm new here so I didn't know where to go or what to do" I lied

"So you stay in a cemetery where the head stones soon get smashed a few feet away from where you were sleeping? Convenient" Sean was already getting annoying

"I'm not making this up. If I had been stupid enough to smash the stones I wouldn't have been stupid enough to stick around to get caught" I said Matter-of fact

"She has a point" Ms. Forbes said "But moving on, what's your name"

"Rachael Moore"

"Where are your parents Rachael?"

"Dead"

"I'm sorry" she said sympathetically

"So why are you alone Rachael? Where's the rest of your family? Where are your grandparents, your uncles, your aunts?" Sean asked suspiciously

Sean was getting in my face and on my nerves "I'm an orphan and so were my parents so I wouldn't have any other relatives, now would I" I said with clear irritation

I couldn't look him in the eye but I could tell he just became embarrassed and somewhat ashamed "You turn" he said to Forbes

"If you're an orphan, why run away? Why not let them put you back into the system?" she asked softly

"I don't do well in orphanages" I said quietly

"Well I think that after we sort out who broke the statues we can find you another foster family" she offered gently

"I appreciate that Ms. Forbes but I had a family and they died"

"Well we can't just leave you alone Rachael, your can't be more then fifteen-"

"I'm sixteen" I, said annoyed

"Years old. You need someone to take care of you until you're eighteen."

"Please Ms. Forbes, I can't go back to foster care. I won't be able to stand going to one a second time. If you could just find me a place to stay until I can get on my feet I would really appreciate it." I pleaded

"We'll see. But you're not going back to the cemetery or anywhere else without my permission" she stated

"I can't spend the night here either" I was on the verge of begging "I'm not the kind of person who would do well in prison"

"Pretty thing like her wouldn't last a night" Sean snorted

"Thank you Sean" she said with clear irritation, apparently I wasn't the only one who found this guy annoying

A knock on the door interrupted us. "We caught the perpetrators. Couple of teenagers driving thru did it for fun." Someone said

"Alright, Well Miss. Moore it looks like you're free to go" Sean said

"Good because I'm starving. Are you hungry Rachael, it's my treat"

I nodded eagerly and jumped from my seat. "I would appreciate that" I said almost shyly

"Alright then let's go"

She didn't tell me where we were going as we drove in the cop car. I was relieved and grateful because I was starving but I was nervous at the same time. I haven't been around people much since my parents died so I wasn't sure how I should act when we got there.

"It's called The Grill. The food's really good here" she assured me

"Ok" I said nervously

The Grill wasn't too big or too crowded. It was just a restaurant you could go to after a long day and relax. It almost looked and felt like a lodge with the comfortable atmosphere and the decorum but the tables and chairs contradicted it. I relaxed a little and told myself I'd be fine as long as I didn't look anyone in the eye.

"You're going to like it here if you stay. This town is really friendly" she said almost soothingly

"Sounds great" I tried to sound enthusiastic instead of nervous

"Would you like to meet a few people?" she asked encouragingly

Would I? "Um sure" I said with uncertainly

"Let's start off with someone your own age" she said "Caroline" she called out to a young blonde and asked her to come over

"Ya?"

"Caroline this is Rachael Moore, Rachael this is my daughter Caroline"

I was surprised so I ended up looking at her before looking down again. Caroline had blonde hair and blue eyes just like her mother but her hair and skin was lighter. She had more of a carefree air around her too.

"It's nice to meet you" I said shyly

"Hi" she said, softening as she saw me

"Rachael's new I n town so I'm showing her around a little incase she decides to stay" she explained

"O, well do you mind if I introduce her to some people?" she asked

"Ms. Forbes" someone called behind us

"Mrs. Lockwood, Tyler, what brings you here?" She asked

Mrs. Lockwood was a pretty woman with light brown hair and blue eyes. She had a very proper look to her, almost like a Stepford wife. Tyler was different. He was built and he had short brown hair and brown eyes. He didn't look happy to be here and he didn't seem like the kind of person who cared about a lot of things. But that was three slip ups in one night. No more looking people in the eye. It was a good thing the Lockwood's and the Forbes weren't evil.

"I was hoping to talk to you actually" she said "But I'm being rude, who's your college?"

"This is Rachael Moore, she's new in town. Rachael, this is Major Lockwood 's wife and their son Tyler"

"It's nice to meet you" I smiled and shook Mrs. Lockwood's hand

"It's nice to meet you too" she smiled "But if we could have a word alone with Ms. Forbes-"

"Say no more" Caroline said smiling "Common Rachael, Let me introduce you to some people" she said, already starting to take my arm and pull me in another direction

"Ok" I said

Things were going to get interesting


	4. Chapter 3

**I should be doing homework but I'm writing this instead….I'm a bad student what can I tell you lol. Please let me know what you think I've never written from a guys point of you so I'm a little nervous about how this came out. **

**I only on my ouc**

**Tyler POV**

I didn't want to be here. As I watched Rachelle, or whatever her name was, greet people it just reminded me of that. She wasn't ugly. I could tell even though it looks like she rolled around in dirt. It was in her strait black hair and it almost covered her dark blue eyes. Her jeans were practically caked with mud.

"So what's the story with Rachael?" my mom asked as soon as she could put the civility out of the way

"Doesn't have much of one" the sheriff shrugged "We caught her sleeping by the cemetery awhile ago"

"That would explain her mud is the new black look" she said with sarcasm

"Her families gone" the sheriff said with sympathy, this girl's clearly gotten under her skin

"So what's gonna happen to her now?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me

"I don't know" she answered with a shrug "I want to keep her here with a family but if I can't do that I might have to send her back into foster care"

"Foster care? So she's an orphan?" mom asked

I suddenly pitied her. My dad might've been a dick but at least I had seen his face and known what he was.

"Yes but I don't know how long she's been one, we've just met" she said

"What if she stayed with us?" mom asked suddenly

"What?"

"What?" I asked, she had to be joking

"She's not a charity case you can use for your own personal gain and then throw her away again." The sheriff nearly hissed "She's a girl, with feelings"

"I know" mom said, almost sounding insulted

"She'd be your responsibility until she's eighteen. You wouldn't be allowed to kick her out and you'd have to feed her, give her clothing-"

"Treat her like a person and not a servant" I mumbled

"Of course I'd treat her like a person" now she did sound insulted

"So what is this?" the sheriff asked "A way to improve your family's image? Or someone to fill the void now that your husband's gone?"

Now I was shocked. No one had ever talked to my mom like that. This girl must have really gotten under the sheriff skin if she was already feeling that protective.

"It's not about that either" my mother had lost the sickeningly sweet sound of her voice and she was now dead serious

"Then what is it about?" I asked

"I've never had a daughter before" she said simply

"So you want a sixteen year old?" I asked

"Don't take this the wrong way" the sheriff said "But don't you think having an attractive girl underneath the same roof as your soon might be-"

"A stupid idea" I finished' not denying my past history

"Not when we've adopted her. She'll be his sister then"

"That's-"

"A bad idea" I finished for her

"Well how about this" mom suggested "She needs a place to stay for the night, why don't we take her in for a trial period and if we all don't agree that she should stay then well make sure she's taken care of with someone else"

It took the sheriff a minute to respond "Alright, I guess we can try that" she agreed

I didn't know what to think. On the one hand I'd have an attractive female under my ruff (which wouldn't be new) but on the other hand…. I'd have an attractive female under my roof and I wouldn't be able to touch her. I don't have a very good history with keeping my hands off the things I want. 


	5. Chapter 4

**Calypsso: Thank you so much for being my first review! Ur awesome! The (…) makes it a little confusing though. If there's anything u think I could do to improve or if there was something u didn't really like please feel free to say so: D (just be gentle) lol**

**I only on my ouc**

I shouldn't have come; I was a nervous wreck being surrounded by all these people. They seemed nice but in a crowded area like this I couldn't look anyone in the eye. I probably looked like Bambi right before the hunter came.

I could see that two people had brown hair. One was a girl and the other a boy. I could see one had dark skin and black hair. But that was the best I could see without looking them in the eye.

"They're not going to bite you" Caroline assured me, teasing

"Caroline's right there's nothing to be scared of. Stefan just moved here not too long ago too. I'm Elena by the way" she said almost soothingly

"Hi" Did I have to sound so jittery?

"I'm Bonnie"

"Hi Bonnie"

"I'm sorry" Stefan said "You may have already said this but what is your name?"

"I did" I said "It's Rachael, Rachael Moore"

"Moore?"

"Yes"

"Are you by any chance related to Elizabeth Moore?"

I shrugged "I wouldn't know"

"Interesting" he said curiously

"Rachael" the sheriff called

"Yes?"

"We have a proposition to make"

Mrs. Lockwood and her son were behind her. Mrs. Lockwood had a hopeful expression on her face while her son looked confused, as if he wasn't sure what to make of the situation. I wasn't sure if I was going to like this.

"You need a place to stay for awhile and we have a lot of room" Mrs. Lockwood said, slowly and awkwardly "If you would like a place to stay for awhile, why not stay with us"

"Really?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing, Mrs. Lockwood sounded so pristine

"Of course"

"That's really nice of you Mrs. Lockwood but I couldn't ask you to do that" I asked, still clearly shocked

"Maybe it would be better if she stayed with us" Caroline said, clearly hinting to her mother that I shouldn't be staying with the Lockwood's

"That might be better, if you would prefer-"

"Don't be silly, we could use a cheerful distraction around our home"

"Distraction?" I couldn't help but ask

"My husband just passed away" she said neutrally

"O my God, I'm so sorry" I said with sudden empathy

"It's all right"

"But I would never want to be a burden-"

"Don't be silly, like I said we'd welcome the distraction"

This was all happening so fast my head was spinning. Mrs. Lockwood and her son had just lost a husband and father. When I lost my parents I was a wreck but they didn't even look shaken and on top of that they were offering their home to a complete stranger. Was I missing something?

"Still I don't think-"

"It's only for a few weeks at most, until we find you a new home" the sheriff assured me

"It's a very generous offer but are you sure you really want me there?" I asked looking back and forth between Mrs. Lockwood and her son

"Of course we do" she said before her son could say a word "We insist, please"

Her son shrugged as if to say "whatever"

"Ok but only if you let me earn my keep. I can cook and clean. I don't have much money right now but I can pay rent-"

"Cooking and cleaning is more then enough" Mrs. Lockwood promised me "you need to focus on school work"

"I can enroll?" I asked the sheriff in disbelief

"Of course" she assured me

"That's great, thank you so much" I grabbed her hand and shock it with enthusiasm

"Of course"

"So it's settled then" Mrs. Lockwood said clasping her hands together

"Welcome to mystic falls" Caroline said with a shrug


	6. Chapter 5

**I hope everyone has a great thanksgiving: D**

**Stefan's POV **

"And then Mrs. Lockwood offered her a place to stay" I told my brother as soon as we got to my place

"Right after her husband dies? Well we all have our stages of mourning I guess" Damon said with clear sarcasm, taking another shot of scotch

"Think Damon" I said with clear irritation "Don't you think It's a strange coincidence that a Lockwood would be offering a Moore a place to stay?"

"You mean besides the fact that a Lockwood is being nice to someone with no apparent gain?" he asked

"Is there something weird about that?" Elena asked

"It is if Rachael Moore is related to Elizabeth Moore" I stated

"Who's Elizabeth Moore?"

"She was a friend of the Lockwood's." Damon said "Well, a friend of all the founding families really but her and the Lockwood's were really close"

"They got along so well because she was really good at identifying others that weren't human" I said "She might even be the reason Katherine got found out"

"The fact that she turned out to be not so human herself helped" Damon said, irked

"What was she?" Elena asked with clear curiosity

"Well we never knew for sure" Damon said "She disappeared soon after the vampires became imprisoned"

"But part of the reason she ran was because when we took Katherine out of the wagon to try saving her, her eyes turned red. Now that I think about it she always did act strange when Katherine was around" I said, more to myself then to Damon or Elena "As soon as it was clear that she wasn't really human herself, the founding families turned on her and tried to kill her too so she ran"

"So nobody ever found out what she was?" Elena asked

"Nobody" Damon confirmed

"But Rachael Moore does look somewhat similar to Elizabeth Moore and does have some of the same behavioral patterns" I stated

"This means if she is related to Elizabeth Moore she inherited her abilities" Damon said

"This means were in trouble" I said


	7. Chapter 6

**Well I'm not sure if I'm any good at showing things from a guys point of view but I tried my best so please review and tell me what you think.**

**Taylor POV **

I couldn't believe this was actually happening. I didn't think my mom would actually invite her into our house. My Dad's funeral is tomorrow for god's sake! Yet here she is, looking around the house like we invited her into the Taj Mahal. What were people going to think of her living with us, a pretty young female invited into the house right before my dad's funeral?

"Your home is beautiful Mrs. Lockwood"

"Why thank you dear. Just make yourself at home while I make sure all the preparations for the funeral tomorrow are finished"

"Your husband's funeral is tomorrow?" I could tell what she really wanted to say was _your husband's funeral is tomorrow and you're inviting a stranger into your house?_

"Yes and I would like for you to keep a low profile until after the funeral if you don't mind dear. I just wouldn't want-"

"That kind of publicity right now?" she guessed "I will and thanks again for inviting me into your home when you're going thru such a hard time"

It couldn't be that hard for her if she was inviting her in anyway "No problem, Tyler would you show her to the guest room please"

I shrugged, trying not to read too much into the fact that my mom wasn't acting like herself at all. I took her upstairs and lead her to the front door and walked away without saying a word.

"Tyler" she said almost like a question

I turned. It was odd. She wouldn't look anyone in the eye at the grill and looked around the place like a frightened rabbit but she completely at ease now. She looked me in the eye with complete fearlessness, which wasn't a very normal reaction towards me.

"What?"

"I just want you to know that I wouldn't have stayed here if I knew your father had died so recently. My parents died in a house fire not too long ago and I know how hard that is. So if you ever need anyone to talk to I'm here." She said softly and encouragingly

If she had said that to anyone else that would have been comforting, awkward but comforting. I just felt uncomfortable.

"Thank you" I said without any feeling behind it

I turned and walked away before I could say anymore. This whole night was weird. My mom would have never offered anyone a place to stay on her best day. Especially when my father just died, there would be rumors. Not to mention the fact that a girl found nothing intimidating about me or showed any sign of being interested in me. It wounded my ego a little. I decided not to think about it and go to bed.


	8. Chapter 7

**please review and tell me what you think.**

The next morning I woke up completely unaware of where I was. It took me a minute to remember the night before. It all felt like some weird dream. The police finding me in the cemetery. The family inviting me into their museum like house. Call me crazy but it didn't actually feel like someone's home. Those special homey touches and the feeling of warmth from a family wasn't there at all.

"Rachael" a knock on the door interrupted my thought process

"Yes?"

Mrs. Lockwood came in "I left everything you need to take a shower and get ready for the funeral in the main bathroom dear. Just make sure your ready before the guests arrive-"

"I'm going?" I asked, shocked

"Of course dear just make sure no one knows your staying here yet"

"Mrs. Lockwood if-"

"Call me Carol"

"Carol" boy did that sound wrong "If you don't want me to go to the funeral I honestly have no problem with staying upstairs"

"Don't be silly, just keep a low profile and you'll be fine" she smiled

I smiled and nodded, feeling awkward. Something about this woman was rubbing me the wrong way. She wasn't evil, I probably would've attacked her by now if she was, but she seemed so...fake.

I wasn't going to dwell on the thought though. This woman offered me a place to stay when no one else would. I wasn't going to ask why while she was being so generous. So I put the thought out of my mind to get ready for the funeral.

**Tyler's POV**

This funeral was nothing short of irritating. Sitting in my father's study and hiding from everyone isn't something I'd do but people were just annoying me today. To make things worse the guy I probably disliked more than anyone else in the world just walked in.

"O sorry I was just looking for the-"

"Bathroom's down the hall"

I sat there and waited for him to leave. Instead I got "Hey look, I'm sorry about your dad" weird; he actually meant it.

He sat down and I nodded "Today's been a big day of sorrys for people who really don't give a crap" clearly I was still annoyed

"I remember, when my dad died I had a house full of strangers telling me what a great guy he was" was this guy seriously still here? "Anyway I know how hard all this is"

I mellowed a little then but there still wasn't much to compare to even if we both don't have fathers anymore. "The difference is, in your case it was true, my dad was a dick" I said and drank more booze

"Ya, ya he was" hmm well at least he was honest, maybe Gilbert wasn't such a gutless turd after all

"I found this in his desk" I stated, making a sort of peace offering

His laugh was almost one of disbelief "He won't mind he's dead" I assured him without any feelings of remorse

Just as he was about to reach out for it Rachael walked in. Wow, it's amazing what a good night's sleep and a shower could do to a girl. Her long, strait black hair was shiny without all the dirt and her milk pale skin looked better without the mud. She wore a black tank top with a black sweater over it and dark jeans with heels.

Of course she barely gave me time to start thinking that having her in my house wouldn't be such a bad thing when she pissed me off by taking my booze from me. "What the-"

"Shhh" she demanded, closing the lid to the flask and sitting on it

"Hey, what's going on in here Tyler?" my uncle suddenly walked in

O crap, I think this girl just saved our asses "Nothing"

My uncle looked at the three of us suspiciously "Who's the lovely lady your trying to hide from me Tyler?" of course my uncle would charm anything in heels no matter how young or old she was

"Rachael Moore sir" she said politely looking down onto the floor

What was with this girl? She wasn't afraid of anything. I could tell because she didn't seem shy or intimidated at all. Yet she refused to look anyone in the eye except my mother and me.

"Moore you say?"

"Yes sir´

"I'm Jeremy by the way" Jeremy said, clearly he found her attractive too, that irked me for some reason

She spared him a glance and then looked him in the eye "Hi" she said, I could've sworn I heard relief in her voice as she looked from him to Mason

Uncle Mason reached out his hand for her to shake it. As soon as she grabbed it he pulled her off the coach. He looked to see the flask where she was sitting.

"It's mine" she said automatically "I have a…drinking problem"

I barley new her but it was obvious that she was lieing. Why was she taking the rap for me anyway, because she felt sorry for me? I didn't need anyone's sympathy

"It's mine" I stated

Mason looked at us and then at Jeremy "You got somewhere else to be?" he asked him

Jeremy looked at us apologetically and left awkwardly. When he was gone Mason addressed us. You know lieing is bad" he stated "but lieing badly is worse" he said before taking a drink from the flask

She laughed in disbelief and smiled when Mason offered me the flask back. She nodded at me encouragingly (as if I needed her permission) before she left me and my uncle alone.


	9. Chapter 8

**CalligraphersNib: Thank you so much for commenting! I'm really glad you like it and you've inspired me to right more: D. If it wasn't for you this chapter might not have gone out until later.**

The funeral went on a lot smoother then I thought it would. Of course there was the incident with Tyler's uncle. I know I shouldn't have interfered and I really shouldn't have been eavesdropping but my curiosity got the better of me. Then of course when I saw someone coming around the corner I knew Tyler would've gotten into trouble for drinking so I tried to hide the bottle. That situation turned out differently then I thought it would.

Still, looking back all I can think about is what Tyler said about his dad. _The difference is in your case it was true, my dad was a dick. _What kind of man had his father been? Was he neglectful or was he just an ass? More importantly, would his dad have survived if I had met him on the street? I tried not to think about it too much. After all, his father had passed away so even if he hadn't been much of a father to Tyler there was nothing I could do about that now.

The funeral was finally over with and I was just about to go upstairs and rest when Ms. Forbes walked in "Elizabeth, what brings you here, the funeral's already over"

"I'm here to talk to Rachael" she said

"Hello Ms. Forbes" I smiled

"Call me Liz" she smiled back

"Liz, what can I do for you?"

"Well first off, it seems like being at the Lockwood's has done you good; you look much better"

"Thank you"

"You're welcome. Second, we had a little problem with registering you for classes" she said seriously

"What is it, what's wrong?" I asked, getting nervous

"Well, unfortunately we needed the information from the orphanage you last stayed at"

"O?" I was defiantly nervous now

"Yes, we needed their signature on some forms but…."

"The owner of the orphanage is dead" I finished numbly

"Yes"

Even with his death I wasn't free of him

_It was still light outside when I went home. I had tried to run away again but just like always I remembered the other kids at the orphanage. If he didn't hit me he was going to after them and I couldn't let that happen, I was the oldest._

_I had only been gone two days. I wasn't expecting any chaos until after I got home. Of course as soon as I walked thru the door I heard screaming and crying upstairs._

_I ran upstairs into Annie's bedroom where Frank had a belt in his hand and Annie was already bruised and bloody. This wasn't right. I had only been gone two days. This wasn't fair. I could deal with this but Annie, she was only eight. _

"_Let her go Frank, I'm back" I demanded, almost whispering_

_He turned around and I could see his greasy brown hair smoothed down and his piercing green eyes. I could tell he was mentally sick just by looking at him. I only resisted my impulses so far because even though he was evil I hadn't seen him hurting anyone else. This was crossing the line and I was about to lose hold of myself because of it. _

"_We'll look who it is. Did the good lord bring you back because he knew you deserved to be punished?"_

"_The only time I'll be talking to God is when I thank him for sending you to Hell" I said venomously "Now let her go!" _

"_No, she wasn't being civil, Thou Shalt honor thy father and thy mother"_

"_Well' here's a new one; Thalt Shalt not beat thy children. It's not like you or that women are anyone's real parents anyway so LET HER GO!" _

_His face quickly became enraged "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT!" he screamed _

"_HOW DARE YOU HIT HER!" I yelled back, to angry to think strait _

_He was coming at me with the belt when Annie cried "No, stop it!" she grabbed him and bit his leg. _

_That just made things worse. He threw her back so she hit the wall and she collapsed on the floor. That's when I snapped. _


	10. Chapter 9

**Please review and tell me what you think**

"We can't say that Clair is your guardian and register you because you're still technically in Ms. Selders' care but she's…"'

"Still in the Looney bin, ya" I said numbly, I can't catch a break

"But the good news is, since Mr. Selders is dead and his wife is-"

"A wacko" I stated

"You can become registered but only if you become-"

"Adopted" I said, still numb

I couldn't be adopted. I didn't want what happened to my parents to happen to another family and that was the other issue _another family._ I never knew my birth parents and my adoptive parents were wonderful, the only people I needed in my life. Unfortunately they died too. I didn't want to be a burden on someone else's family, not in this town.

"What's wrong Rachael, I thought you'd be thrilled" Liz said

"The only family I could have ever wanted is dead Liz" I said "and I don't want to burden someone else here by making someone adopt me, I'll be eighteen in less than two years anyway"

"That's true" Liz said, instantly bummed

"Well why don't you let us adopt you?" Clair said enthusiastically "We were thinking about doing that anyway"

I didn't want to tell Ms. Lockwood that the idea was only somewhat short of traumatizing. She had been so kind to me but I couldn't help but feel some alternative motive. Luckily, Mason spoke up before I had to say anything.

"That wouldn't be a good idea. Two handsome, single bachelors taking in a pretty, young, and defenseless looking woman, what would the neighbors think?" he said teasingly, nudging Tyler

"That's true" Ms. Lockwood admitted

"How about this," Liz said "What if we file as if she's going to be adopted but we keep putting it off because we can't find a suitable family while she's staying here. That way she has a place to stay and she won't be under suspicion" she suggested.

"There still might be rumors" Ms. Lockwood said hesitantly

"That's your decision to make Clair if you can't give her a safe and loving environment I can take her to someone who can give it to her" she stated, it almost sounded like a threat

"No of course we can" she said waving her hand as if to shoo of a pesky fly "I'm sure that if we all act civilly there won't be a reason for them to be suspicious"

"Of course" Liz said with a clear hint of disbelief

"Well I can register her and she can start school first thing Monday" she said cheerfully

"Great" I said, suddenly nervous

**Tyler POV **

"Tyler" my mom said before opening my door

"Ya?"

"I have a favor to ask"

"Ok…" this should be interesting

"I think it would be best if you didn't get to close to Rachael, it's just not meant to be"

"What?" was she seriously asking me this?

"I know Rachael is beautiful and she seems like a sweet and lovely lady but-"

"What are you using her for mom?" I asked

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently

"What do you mean, what do I mean?" I asked with disbelief "When, in this lifetime, would you ever let a stranger stay in your house?"

"I felt sorry for her-"

"You felt sorry for the stray animals on the TV mom, but you still didn't donate anything" I stated like the smartass I am

"Look Tyler, she's staying, that's all you need to know. Now I would appreciate it if you kept your hands off-"

"O please" I said with exasperation "She's hot but she's not that hot" I lied

"Good and don't get to close to her at school either Tyler, we don't want people thinking poorly of her or us for that matter"

"Got it" I said with clear boredom in my voice

"I'm serious Tyler, you owe me from earlier any-"

"I got it" I said, getting irritated "I won't touch a hair on her pretty head" I assured her

"Thank you"


	11. Chapter 10

**CalligraphersNib: Thank you. To be honest I've never really cared for her character because you're right, she had NO depth. So I wanted to write her in as someone who thought for herself and wasn't just the woman behind the man. I'm glad you enjoyed my efforts****. **

**Elohcin: Thank you so much for pointing that out. I edited my prologue and I think it's a lot better than my first one because it's edited and it's all in one tense. Thanks for helping me make my story better **

Ok, now I know people say the first day of school is suppose to be an emotionally joyful and nerve wracking experience…those people are idiots I just feel sick. I felt like my heart was going to beat itself out of my chest and my stomach was going to fall out of my butt.

I was sitting in the passenger seat of Tyler's car, trying not to have a panic attack as we got closer and closer to the school. "Will you relax already, its high school not hell" Tyler said, rolling his eyes

"How much of a difference is there?" I asked, clearly mortified

"You'll do fine, just relax" he said, exasperated

"Your right" I said, trying to calm myself "After all if I need anything I can ask you right?"

He hesitated before answering "No" he said before leaving the car

"What?" I squeaked

Getting out of the car I tried my best not to look at anyone as I headed to the school. Mrs. Lockwood had bought me some cloths because (surprise) she never had to worry about hand me downs and donated anything she grew out of to charity….could anyone imagine what that women's childhood was like? I folded my arms across my chest and focused on breathing as I headed towards the school.

It didn't seem like a very big school. Just a one story building with everything a school needed to function. At least I could find the office without asking anyone for help. Of course this would be a lot easier if Tyler was willing to give me a hand. I tried not to dwell on it when I found my way to the front desk.

"Hello I'm rach-"

"Rachael Moore, I've heard a lot of nice things about you from the sheriff" a sweet sounding lady said

"O" I said surprised "Ok then"

"Here's your schedule and a map of the school"

"Thank you"

"You're welcome. If you have any problems don't be afraid to ask"

I smiled. Maybe this day will go smoother then I planned.

**Tyler POV**

I didn't want to say no. I still felt like an ass for saying it, especially when I saw how much of a nervous wreck she was getting out of the car. I made a promise to my mom though and she did have a point. If I got close to her in any way it would just make people want to gossip about her that much more. People didn't know how to mind their own business in this school and once they found out she was living with us they won't be able to shut up.

She looked fine whenever I saw her in the hall. Caroline, being Caroline, took it upon herself to show her around, which put my mind at ease and lessened my guilt. Although, Rachael didn't look away from the floor much and whenever she did it was just to look at Caroline or Elena (whenever she was around). This girl was just plain weird.

When lunchtime came around I was sitting with Matt, facing the entrance to the cafeteria. When I saw Rachael coming in she looked happy enough. I figured I could stop worrying and feeling guilty. That's when she choose to look in my direction and smile. It wasn't that I would have minded if she sat with me but I promised my mom I would stay away from her and sitting with her would have gone against that promise.

I worried about what I was going to say and then when she waved in my direction that made it about a hundred times worse. How was I going to reject sitting with her and not sound rude? She walked in my direction so I opened my mouth so I could say-

"Jeremy" I heard her call out, walking past me as if I didn't exist

I exhaled and tried not to feel humiliated and stupid at the same time. "You ok Tyler?" Matt asked with an amused expression on his face

"Why wouldn't I be?" I said, shrugging

"If you want I'm sure you could just call her over here, she seems nice" Matt said

"I don't know what you're talking about" I lied

"Please, that's the new girl right? Isn't that fresh meat for Tyler Lockwood?"

I shrugged. Making conquests was easy for me. After all I was the major's handsome, rich, football playing star of a son. But for some reason I don't think Rachael would be the kind of girl who wanted a guy just for those reasons. I respected her more for the thought but it also made me depressed for some reason.

**Rachael POV **

I was hoping that when lunch came around I could sit next to Taylor and we could talk. We were living together now after all. But as soon as he saw me he froze. I could tell that he didn't want to. So I respected his wishes and decided to find somewhere else to sit. Luckily Jeremy was sitting by himself a few tables away and I knew he was good so I went to say hi.

"Jeremy" I called

He looked up from his food and smiled. Jeremy was really cute. I didn't get the chance to really look at him before Mason asked him to leave. I was a sucker for brown eyes. He had longer hair then a lot of guys did too, which is kind of sexy. The fact that he wasn't evil and I didn't have to attack him was great too.

"Hi, it's Rachael right?"

"Right, sorry about the way we met at Mr. Lockwood's funeral" I added sheepishly

He laughed "That's ok; you might want to find a better hiding place for the liquor next time though"

"I panicked" I said in my defense

"I'd panic too but I still would have hid it better" he teased

"Well I wouldn't have been drinking in the first place so I wouldn't have had to worry about getting caught" I rebutted

"Touché" he raised his glass to me

"May I join you?" I asked before I could lose my nerve

"Sure" he said

I let out a breath of relief and sat across from him "So you've lived her awhile right? What's the town like?" I asked

"It's alright for a small town" he stated "How are you liking it here so far?"

"I've yet to be bored" I grinned

He laughed "Welcome to the neighborhood" he toasted me

"Thank you" I laughed

"Hey Jeremy"

"O, hey Bonnie, what's up?"

Of course by the time she reached the table I was already looking away and making sure I didn't get a good look at her face.

"Not much. Hello again Rachael"

"Hi" I said, focusing on my lunch

"You can look at me you know nothing bad is going to happen"

O the irony. Well, I've already taken more risks here in a few days then I have in the last four years, what was one more?

Taking a peek I could see a sweet smiling, dark skinned girl looking at me. I let out a breath. She was good, I could feel my own relief radiating of off me.

"See, that wasn't so bad was it?" she teased gently

"No" I admitted

"So let's try this a again, Hi I'm Bonnie" she said reaching out her hand

_**To be continued….**_


	12. Chapter 11

**Missalyssacullen: ahhh thank you so much**** and I'm really glad you like it 3 **

**This chapter is dedicated to psycho17 who helped me with my writers block and responded to all my emails even though they were probably stupid lol thanks again **

"Hi I'm Bonnie" she reached out her hand

"Hi Bonnie I'm Rachael" I smiled taking her hand to shake it

I wasn't sure what happened then but it was almost instantaneous. Bonnie gasped and practically spazzed out right then and there. Her eyes closed and when she opened them again, she looked really freaked out. I couldn't be sure but for a second there I could've sworn she was looking at me like I was Jeepers creepers or something.

"You ok there Bonnie?" Jeremy asked, concerned

"Ya I'm fine…I just suddenly remembered I need to talk to Stefan" she said quickly

"Well, you know he's going to be wherever Elena is" Is it just me or does Jeremy sound sort of suspicious?

"Right, see you later Jeremy…Rachael"

"Bye" I said, confused

"Wow when Bonnie forgets things…." Jeremy said, shaking his head

"Was it something I said?" I couldn't help but ask, she practically ran away from me

"No, I'm sure Bonnie always does that when she suddenly remembers things" Jeremy said

For some reason I couldn't believe what he was said. Nobody reacts like that just because they suddenly remember things…. do they?

**Stefan POV **

"And as soon as I touched her I got that same feeling. I mean it wasn't exactly the same. I doubt she's a vampire either way because she was out in the daylight without a ring on but-"

"She's defiantly something else" I finished

"Defiantly" Bonnie confirmed

"Damon's not going to like this" I stated, I could just imagine how quickly he'd want to kill her

"He'd really try to kill her without knowing what she is first?" Bonnie asked in disgust and disbelief

"No, he'd want to know what she is so he could find the most effective way of killing her" I corrected "He's ruthless not stupid"

"Well you really should figure out what she is either way. It looked like Jeremy was really warming up to her and if she's dangerous he could get hurt" Bonnie said with concern and something else…it almost sounded like jealousy

"You're right. I'll go tell Damon and we'll see if Alaric can tell us anything"

"Let me know what you found out"


	13. Chapter 12

**Psycho17: here's your requested update: D I hope you like it**

**Author's note: A special thanks to everyone who reviewed and added me to their favorite story, story alert and favorite author list. It gave me warm fuzzy feelings and it made me really happy that you all liked it so much **

**I hope everyone likes this chapter please review and tell me what you think, I live for reviews lol. **

**Damon POV**

"Well this is just great" I said with clear sarcasm "Bonnie the wonder witch can shake something's hand and know it's different but she's completely useless when it comes to just about _everything_ else"

"Damon-"

"What, like you could've figured out she was anything out of the ordinary by yourself" she said, clearly implying that I was incompetent

"The only thing that matters now" Stefan said before I could retort "Is what we do next"

"We kill her" I stated obviously

"You have a one track mind" Bonnie stated with disgust

"We have other problems we need to deal with right now" I stated "pardon me if I want to lighten my load"

"Bonnie's right" Stefan said "We don't know who or what she is or what poses she may threat. We don't want to make an enemy out of someone if we can avoid it Damon"

I rolled my eyes. I knew he had a point but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. "What if she's already are enemy? Then we shouldn't be wasting time talking, we should just kill her"

"Damon we don't even know what she is"

"And your useless until you do" Bonnie smirked "After all, she's not a vampire"

"If you're so smart why don't you tell us what she is super b-"

"Damon, Emily didn't even know what she was" Stefan stated

"She new Emily too" Bonnie asked

"Not really, the two were in completely different social circles and it's not like she lived with us or anything. But whenever the two did see each other they would just stare, like they didn't know what to think of each other. Emily never knew what to make of Elizabeth Moore."

That made Bonnie shut up long enough for me to think. What was this girl? Was she something that could pose a threat to us? I didn't know anything supernatural besides vampires and witches even existed.

"Maybe she's some sort of succubus or…." Bonnie suggested doubtfully

"O please, I was practically the inspiration for that load of crap" I rolled my eyes again and took a shot of scotch

"Well whatever she is, we need to find out so we can defend ourselves _if necessary_" Stefan emphasized

Typical Stefan wouldn't kill someone unless he had an excuse. I didn't want anyone risking the life I found here so as soon as I find out about this girl and what her weakness is I was paying her a visit whether Stefan liked it or not.

"So should we pay the history teacher a little visit then?" I asked with a smirk

"We should go see Alaric" Stefan agreed


	14. Chapter 13

**Ok so I know I'm uploading pretty fast (which probably sounds lame and represents how much I don't have a life) but I have an excuse this time. It was one or those chapters I had to write down because I couldn't get it out of my head. I think it's my best one so please tell me what you think. Any feedback or ideas or constructive criticism would be appreciated. **

**I hope everyone likes this chapter**** please review and tell me what you think **

**Stefan POV**

_1865 _

_Katherine and I were dancing when she walked in. Elizabeth Moore. I might have considered her as beautiful as Katherine if I wasn't in love with her. She wore a red ball gown that showed off how blonde her hair was and her signature dark blue eyes twinkled. She had an attractive yet chilling confidence radiating of off her. Not the "I know I'm attractive" confidence that Damon and Katherine give off but the "I can do whatever I want and your society rules can't touch me" confidence. _

_When she first came here she would look at the floor as if she belonged there but now she would openly stare at anyone, bold as anything and no one would think less of her for it. How could they, the council practically worship the ground she walks on. They all threw their eligible sons (including Damon and I) at her. Fortunately, she never showed interest in me or any of the men here for that matter. _

_She was a good friend of mine now but she obviously hated Katherine. The council would too (they worshipped her that much) but Katherine had charmed them so they simply made sure they avoided each other as much as possible. That was the reason I was surprised to see her here. Katherine and Elizabeth were never invited to the same social gatherings anymore because they would make everyone uncomfortable with the obvious hatred they had for each other._

"_Elizabeth" my father said joyously as soon as she walked through the door _

"_Hello Mr. Salvatore, another perfect get together, as always" she said with a charming smile raising her hand_

"_Hello Elizabeth, I'm so glad you could make it" my father kissed her hand looking dazzled_

_That might have been one of the reasons Katherine and Elizabeth never got along. It wasn't just the fact that men were attracted to women like Elizabeth and Katherine the way moths were attracted to flame. It was that Elizabeth was completely unaware of the effect she had on men. Katherine knew and she reveled in it. Elizabeth had that innocence men couldn't get enough of and Katherine simply couldn't posses it. I had a feeling Katherine didn't like the competition. So while my dad was looking dazzled Elizabeth simply took it as friendliness. _

"_I'm glad I could be here as well Mr. Salvatore" she said sweetly _

"_If there's anything I can get you, anything at all, you just ask" he said_

"_You're too kind Mr. Salvatore" odd, she actually means it, my dad must treat her like this all the time_

_Katherine glanced at her and it almost looked like she was seething. "Katherine, you'll be nice won't you?" I asked, hoping to avoid too much hostility as possible _

"_Of course Stefan" she smiled enchantingly as she saw Elizabeth walk to where we were" I'm always nice" _

"_Hello Stefan, Katherine" Elizabeth said politely _

_There was that feeling again, that feeling that all they wanted to do was kill each other. That was why people wanted them to avoid each other as much as possible. I felt that if they were given the chance to kill each other without making people suspicious, they would do it without a second thought. _

_But that was a silly feeling of course, Katherine would never do something like that and certainly Elizabeth was too innocent to consider hurting anyone in any way. "Hello Elizabeth" Katherine said with a falsely sweet voice_

"_So sorry for disturbing you" I had a feeling she couldn't care less if she disturbed us "But I was hoping to discuss something with Stefan so is there any way I could steal him away for a moment?" She said in a sickly sweet voice_

_I could've sworn what she actually wanted to say was "hey prostitute, I'm talking to Stefan and your lucky were in public so I have to ask" _

"_O I don't know, we were having such a lovely time" she said in an equally sickeningly sweet voice "can you please wait for a few minutes?"_

_I had a feeling that translated into "Don't think I'll do whatever you ask just because you ask it you bitter Virgin Mary, I'll take all the time I want" _

"_Miss. Katherine may I have a word?" a gentleman came and asked somewhat nervously_

_She looked annoyed for a moment but the she just smiled "Of course, Elizabeth you may keep Stefan Company while I'm gone" _

_This probably translated into "You got lucky Virgin Mary" _

"_Thank you Katherine, I promise I won't take too much of his time"_

_Which I could've sworn meant "We both knew I wasn't really asking and I don't need your permission for anything you prostitute " _

_She nodded and as she left I could see Elizabeth relax her stance and she let out a breath of relief. She turned to me "Stefan, you're looking as handsome as ever" she said with true sweetness_

_That was one of the personality traits that made Elizabeth so addictive, whenever she gave someone a compliment you could tell it was real because she said it as though she was simply stating a fact. I couldn't help but smile at her open sincerity. "You look lovely as well Elizabeth" _

_She really did look nice with her hair in a bun on top of her head with those lovely cords of light blonde hair falling around her face. She smiled shyly "Thank you Stefan but I'm no Katherine" she said _

"_You don't lie and neither do I Elizabeth, when I say you look lovely, it means you look lovely" I said without worrying that she might take that the wrong way, there had never been any type of romantic feelings between us _

"_Thank you Stefan" she smiled sweetly "That means a lot" _

"_Now, what did you want to speak to me about?"_

_That question made her hesitate and she bit her lip. I knew that whatever it was I wasn't going to like it. "Are you and Katherine in a serious relationship yet?" she asked quietly, as if it was inevitable _

_The question shocked me, why was she asking me this if she had no romantic feelings for me? "I plan to tell her something tonight and then I hope we will be" I answered honestly _

"_Stefan don't do this" she pleaded quietly _

"_Do what?" I asked, becoming irritated _

"_Fall for her charms Stefan, It's all an act" she whispered so only I could hear it "Her sweetness is as real as a wooden leg and I don't know why so many people have believed it but I don't want you to make a mistake because your judgment is clouded"_

"_My judgment is fine thank you very much, I'm in love with her-"_

"_Stefan, you're not in love with her, you and Damon have become obsessed" _

"_I'm not obsessed and Katherine has no real feelings for Damon-"_

"_Does he know that? Has Katherine made it clear that she has no real feelings for Damon?" She asked skeptically _

"_I'm sure that if she hasn't told him yet he'll figure it out-"_

"_Eventually and I'm sure that until he does Katherine will play with him the way a child plays with her doll" she stated_

"_That's not true-"_

"_Spare me Stefan, if she hasn't told him yet don't you think there's a chance she might be using him and if that's true don't you think there's a chance she might be using you?"She asked with clear concern _

"_Katherine would never use anyone on purpose-"_

"_O please, the woman's a fox trapped in a rabbit's body" she nearly hissed "Are you so blinded by your feelings for Katherine that you don't care if she's hurting your brother, whether it's intentional or not?" she asked in disbelief _

"_Elizabeth I know what I'm doing" I said, avoiding the question "Now I know you don't like Katherine but as my friend you will show her respect"_

_She was obviously saddened by my tone but she nodded "I just don't want to see you get hurt Stefan" she said _

"_I'll be fine, now I think you should leave before Katherine comes back, you two can barely stand being in the same room together" and I don't want to be near you if you're just going to give me doubts_

_She nodded again "Fine, but I hope you never figure out what she really is Stefan, because I have a feeling that if you do you won't be able to turn back" she said solemnly, patting my shoulder before she left _


	15. Chapter 14

**In this chapter they'll dig deeper into Rachael Moore's history and who knows…..maybe they'll find out Rachael's scary little secret soon. Lol. Any feedback, ideas or constructive **

**I hope everyone likes this chapter**

**Stefan POV**

"We need to talk to you Alaric" I said as soon as Damon and I walked into his classroom

"What about?" he asked curiously

"It's about the new girl in town" Damon said with amusement, he had to be humorous about everything even when it was threatening

"Who?" he asked, clearly annoyed by Damon's sarcasm

"It's about Rachael Moore, Alaric" I stated

"Rachael Moore? She's a new student of mine and she seems like a nice girl, why her?"

What he meant was innocent girl. Elizabeth was the same way; it was like a female Bambie had become human. She was too fragile to hurt someone physically and to sweet and innocent to cause someone pain emotionally, it seemed. That is, until her eyes turned red, and it wasn't just the color of her eyes ether it was all of her eye turning red faster than you could blink.

"Elizabeth seemed nice until she almost killed Katherine; she almost killed us too for getting in her way" Damon stated

"Elizabeth?"

"Elizabeth Moore" I stated "she was a good friend of ours until they entombed the vampires"

"What happened?" he asked

"The night the entombed the vampires Elizabeth showed up. I think she was trying to save us-"

"Or keep us from helping Katherine get out of the tomb" Damon corrected "Elizabeth turned out to be a really good judge of character" he nearly mumbled

"Well when she saw us taking Katherine out of the carriage she snapped" I said "Her eyes turned red and her face started changing-"

"And of course someone saw and screamed demon" Damon said, amused "It wasn't hard for her to escape though, nobody believed him at first, the council loved her and they couldn't believe their darling Elizabeth wasn't human" Damon said with some disgust

"So you think Rachael might be something like Elizabeth was?" Alaric asked in near disbelief

"We're not sure if she is anything, we had no idea if Elizabeth was anything either and when we found out, she disappeared and we never figured out what she was."

"Interesting….."

"I hope Rachael is like Elizabeth, If Elizabeth hated and wanted to kill Katherine, imagine how Rachael's going to react" Damon said perkily

"Elizabeth was an expert vampire hunter Damon and she didn't even have to try, the woman was like a vampire bloodhound" I reminded him, exasperated

"Yes but didn't you say Rachael is an orphan, _she _could be our bloodhound"

Sometimes Damon's concern for almost no one but himself surprised even me. "Damon, Elizabeth was our friend; she's the only one who cared enough to get mad at us for loving Katherine when it turned us against each other. Now you want to use her, possibly, only living relative?"

"Come on Stefan the girl could've killed me; she could've been using me-"

"You mean like Katherine was, the way Elizabeth warned us she would?" I reminded him

That shut Damon up. Elizabeth was one of Damon's closest friends, one of the only female friends he had and didn't try to sleep with. He loved her in a completely different way then he loved Katherine but he loved her. We both knew that Damon might have fallen for Elizabeth instead if our father hadn't practically thrown her at us. If there was one thing my brother couldn't stand it was something our father approved of. He owed it to Elizabeth to keep this girl safe if she was her descendant.

"Well if Rachael is like what Elizabeth was then we should find out. Whether it means we're going to help her or hurt her, don't you think?" Damon finally stated

"Exactly" I finally agreed, almost smiling, I couldn't help but feel that I won

Part of the reason I wanted to find out if Rachael was related or like Elizabeth was because I felt _I_ owed it to her. Elizabeth was one of my closest friends but as soon as Katherine came along I treated her like she didn't matter and I treated her opinions as if they were nothing. Elizabeth on the other hand, never treated me anything less than her close friend.

"Well in case you guys haven't noticed there are a lot of Moore's out there. Rachael Moore, Mandy Moore, What makes you think this girl's related to Elizabeth Moore?" Alaric asked

"She almost looks exactly like her, except for the hair. She acts like her and she doesn't look anyone in the eye just like Elizabeth use to."I said

"She doesn't look anyone in the eye?" he asked

"No" I said hesitantly

"So she's shy" Damon shrugged, starting to doubt

"She doesn't have a problem talking to people Damon" I stated

"Wait" Alaric said hesitantly

"What?" Damon asked

"Well there is a history of curtain women avoiding looking people in the eye. They made an impression wherever they went though. They never stayed anywhere very long but they always had men chasing after them. It was almost inevitable when you were one of these women."

"That's Elizabeth alright" Damon stated

"What do you mean history?" I asked

"Well I wouldn't say history exactly. I read it in a book"

"What book?"

Alaric pulled a book out from the bottom drawer of his desk and handed it to me. It was an old book with a brown cover and swirling tree branch designs. It was titled The Moore. "What's it about?" Damon asked, taking the book from me

"It's just a legend really. That book is very rare because the author was declared legally insane soon after he published it so few copies were ever sold."

"What's the legend about?" I asked

"Eruoica" he stated


	16. Chapter 15

**Now I know it may seem like I'm making you suffer by giving you a flashback and not telling you what they are right away but I think it's important to understand Elizabeth's relationship with the Salvatore's and why she was the way she was a little more before we jump into exactly **_**what **_**Elizabeth and Rachael are. I am working on the next one as you read this and it will be up tomorrow. O and I do like to watch people suffer haha Jk. **

**I hope everyone likes this chapter and doesn't hate me too much for this**

**Elizabeth POV**

_1863_

_If there were two things I hated about being a women it was the corsets and the long dresses. One kept me from breathing- since I was a woman I had to pretend I didn't need the air- the other prevented me from running over to the Salvatore estate. I really hope the time comes when women can wear breaches just like men can. _

_I finally managed to reach the Salvatore's when Emily opened the door. I didn't dislike Emily but I didn't like her either. There was something off about her, it wasn't a bad feeling really but there was just something in my gut telling me that she was different. If there was one thing my heritage taught me it was to trust my instincts. _

"_Good morning Emily" I said politely_

"_Hello Miss. Elizabeth" she said just as politely "if you're looking for Mr. Salvatore he's in the backyard with Miss. Katherine"_

_She was eying me with the same look I would usually give her. I don't think either of us knew what to make of each other but I couldn't dwell on this. Stefan was alone with that beast Katherine. I resisted running and found Stefan and Katherine in the backyard, laughing and racing towards one of Mr. Salvatore's statues. _

"_I win what's my prize" Katherine said charmingly yet victoriously _

_I wanted to tell her what her unpleasant prize would be when "What do you want it to be?" interrupted me _

"_Damon" I nearly squealed happily _

_That was when they turned and noticed my presence. Damon and Stefan's grins got bigger when they saw me. With Katherine it was like pulling off a mask and seeing just how hideously evil she was. I didn't reveal in her unhappiness or smirk like I usually would've done because I was too happy. Damon was staying longer. _

_Of course they all laughed when I nearly broke something stumbling over myself to get to where Damon was but as soon as I was close enough I threw my arms around him. "Elizabeth your impossible" Damon laughed _

_I just smiled and urged Stefan closer to make it a group hug. I loved these guys "They extended your leave?" Stefan asked when our hugging was over_

"_I was simply having too much fun to return to battle" Damon said, amused_

"_Your commitment to the confederacy is an inspiration to us all Damon" I teased, rolling my eyes _

"_Well, this is perfect for me" Katherine said sweetly _

_I almost didn't turn around. Even though I could finally look at Katherine and not kill her it still took all of my self control. When I completely changed during my seventeenth birthday it only made it that much harder. Unfortunately, I made a vow that I would never kill within my own free will again and I keep my vows. _

"_Why is that Miss. Katherine?" one of the brothers asked while I focused on forcing myself to turn around _

"_Now I have all three of you to keep me entertained" she smiled _

_The second I looked at her it took all of my will power to not tear her throat and sink my fangs in. All I wanted to do was tell her that the only entertainment she would get from me was a death match but the last thing I wanted was to have Stefan and Damon think less of me so I held my tongue. I smiled best I could and tried to look like I tolerated her. _

"_And the first thing I need is an escort to the ball"_

"_Of course" Stefan said_

"_I would be honored" Damon bowed_

_I wish I could have showed them how sad this moment was for me. Even if I didn't have the power to see how evil Katherine was I would have been able to tell she had little emotional depth. Yes she was charming and beautiful but she had no warmth or honesty to her. Were they so blinded by a fake personality and a pretty face?_

"_Both of the Salvatore brothers at my beck and call, how shall I ever choose?" she smiled and gave me a smirk as she walked away with pride and arrogance, folding her hands behind her back_

"_Well this is great for me" I said sarcastically "Now I have to go alone" I said as soon as Katherine was a safe distance away _

"_I still don't understand why you would have one of us escort you when so many other men would jump at the chance" Stefan said as if he was talking to an irritating younger sister_

"_We both know I'm not interested in any of the men in town" I lied "I don't want to give anyone the wrong impression" that was true_

"_Well whoever doesn't escort Katherine to the ball will escort you" Stefan said dismissively _

"_As kind as that offer is, I think I'll go alone" I said before Damon could get a word in_

_I couldn't help but feel a little betrayed and I tried not to cry. I haven't known Stefan and Damon much longer than Katherine has but we were already best friends. I might not have minded if I hadn't known what Katherine really was. If they found themselves nice girls to spend their time with I would have just felt happy for them. They didn't though; they both fought over one evil manipulative girl._

_Ever sense I changed I could sense every otherworldly being and every evil creature. I could also see all the people they killed, all of their betrayals, and all of the pain they caused. It was my instinct to rid the world of that kind of evil but I just couldn't do that right now. It wasn't the right time or place but I would have to make a decision soon. I knew the second she hurt one of my friends I would have to go against my vow and annihilate her. _


	17. Chapter 16

**Sorry about how short this chapter is and how quickly it came up everyone but I got a great review that's going to make me shake things up a bit. Special thanks to DanaIsis for the constructive criticism. Looking back on my work I defiantly think I'm trying to do too much at once so when this chapter is over I'm defiantly focusing more on Rachael and what makes her tick. I would also love to take you up on your beta offer.**

**I hope everyone likes this chapter**

Stefan POV

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked completely clueless as to what Alaric had just referred to.

"Eruoica," Alaric stated. "It's Latin for Demonica; human women—with Demon's blood."

"Demon's blood?" Damon asked in disbelief. "I'm sorry, but 'demon's blood?' So you're saying she's some kind of half-human, half-demon?"

"Yes," Alaric said in all seriousness. "According to a legend, a human female had fallen in love with a demon, thus spawning his demon child—a baby girl. And ever since any descendant that is a female also inherits the blood of the demon."

"So what else do you know about her," I quickly asked, trying to keep myself composed. I was getting fairly impatient.

"Wait a minute, now this timid little girl can't even look people in the eye—how harmful could she be?" Damon interjected. "I mean how do we even know she's from that particular line of Moore's?"

"Well like Stefan said, she resembles Elizabeth Moore," Alaric said honesty. "Now I don't know much more than either of you; look some of the pages in the book are missing."

It was true. When I opened the book, more than half of the pages had been ripped out, and others had words scratched over. Apparently no one wanted many people to know about the "Eruoica".

"Geez Alaric, why buy a book if it's just going to be worthless anyway?" Damon asked skeptically as he took the book from my hands and flipped through it carelessly.

"That book was given to me by some passerby on the street, who didn't want it anymore," Alaric said somewhat insulted by Damon. "I thought he was just a crazy, old man, but I took the book anyway. I'm starting to wish I had asked him questions about the book before he left."

"So once again whenever anyone, besides me of course, has to be useful—they fall up short," Damon sighed and walked over to the window.

"Get over yourself Damon," Alaric spoke looking over at him. "Perhaps the only person who would have an original copy, with _all_ of the information inside of it—would be a Moore."

"And the only living Moore we know is Rachael," I said leaning against the wall looking towards Alaric and Damon.

"So with that being said, the only way we're going to learn anything about Rachael, is if _we_ address _her_ ourselves," he finished, resting his hands on the desk. "I mean the only one who knows anything about Rachael—"

"Is Rachael," I interrupted.

"Well then let's go have a nice chat with our new, little, orphan-demon," Damon said nonchalantly waltzing out of the room.

Apparently this was going to be much harder than any of us had originally planned.


	18. Chapter 17

**Happy New Year! I'm so sorry I kept you guys waiting so long **** I hate myself for it but I have a good excuse! I had to wait until I could go somewhere with Wifi because I can only download my updates on my laptop, I know it's annoying. But I promise never to keep you guys waiting long unless I have no choice. O and special thanks for all the reviews and alerts I received. I promised I cherished every one of them****.**

**We're at the chapter where Rachael and Damon finally get to meet! This is going to be interesting because it's possible that Damon and Stefan know more about Rachael then she does****. Let's see!**

**DISCLAIMER: I only own the characters you do not recognize, The Vampire Diaries is solely owned by L.J. Smith. If **_**I**_** owned Vampire Diaries, Elena would've gotten over herself and realized her feelings for Damon a long time ago!**

**Rachael POV**

After lunch I began spending as much time with Jeremy as possible. It turns out he was actually a great guy; I could look him directly in the eye and talk to him about almost anything. I can't even remember the last time I had a friend like that. Everything seemed to be going great…until he walked me to the parking lot, where I stopped at Tyler's car.

"Wow your car looks a lot like Tyler's," Jeremy said with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Yeah," I started off, trying to come up with a quick lie. "Well as it turns out, Tyler and I are neighbors so we agreed to car pool. You know? For the environment."

"I see," he said. I could tell he wasn't really buying it. "Well that's cool, I guess. Thanks again for explaining that book to me. Who knew that "Animal Farm" wasn't actually about farm animals?"

"Everyone but you," I replied laughing.

"Hey Rachael! Time to go home," I heard Tyler's voice say close by.

"Alright," I said directing it to Tyler, then turning back to Jeremy. "See you later Jeremy."

"Later Rach. And before I forget, Elena wanted me to invite you over our place after school tomorrow," he said as he turned back to me.

"You know Elena?" I asked tilting my head to the side in confusion.

"Well she is my sister," he said stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"I thought you two looked alike," I told him starting to see the resemblance. "But, yeah, sure. I would love to hang out tomorrow. Just let me check in with my guardian and see if it's ok, alright?"

"Well if _I_ know your guardian, and I _do,_" Tyler interjected in a matter-of-factly order. "He's not going to be very happy about this."

"I don't see why not," I said looking back at him confused. "I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow than."

"I guess," Jeremy said looking form Tyler to me.

"Let's go Rachael," Tyler said, clearly annoyed with me. "Some of us actually need to get home."

"Right sorry," I said hopping in the passenger side of the car, before flashing Jeremy a smile. "I'll call you later Jer."

He simply nodded and waved at me. I was more than sure that I saw a smirk on his face as we drove off.

"So you and _Jeremy Gilbert_ have been getting pretty close huh?" Tyler asked as he drove out of the parking lot.

I was beginning to get extremely confused. It was almost as if Tyler was jealous the way he looked at me. It was as if I was dating Mussolini or something. Did he and Jeremy have some sort of beef with each other? If they did what would that have to do with me, it's not like Tyler was being that friendly to me lately anyway.

"Yeah," I replied slowly. "Is that alright with you?"

"What, who me, yeah it's fine," he said waving his hand in the air at me. "I think it's great that you're making friends."

"You just don't want me to be friends with Jeremy," I rationalized. Turning my attention back towards the road.

"No, I don't care who your friends with," he said—obviously caring.

"Are you sure?" I asked turning to look at him.

"Of course," he assured me, ending that topic and starting a new one. "How was your first day?"

He wasn't being honest with me, I could tell. He obviously didn't want to talk about Jeremy Gilbert, so I refrained from speaking about him anymore.

"It was great actually," I said mustering up as much enthusiasm I could.

Now that our earlier conversation was forgotten, we had ended up talking about school until he pulled into his drive way. He attempted to inform me about football, whereas I decided to actually talk about school work—something important. It was an interesting conversation, considering we didn't seem to have anything in common. He liked football and I liked volleyball, I read for my own leisure and he hung out with friends, he wasn't afraid to drink like a fish and I've never even had a beer in my life; I could already tell that this was going to be an interesting arrangement.

"Hey Tyler, hey Rachael," Mason said as soon as we pulled in the driveway."How's it going?"

"Hi Mr. Lockwood" I said cheerfully as I exited the passenger side of the car.

"Rachael," he said stopping in front of me, gesturing his hands for emphasis. "For the last time call me Mason alright. Mr. Lockwood's my father."

"Very well, _Mason_," I said stressing his name. "How was your day?"

"Pretty good, ya know same old same," He said, and then switched on a sarcastic charm. "How was our girl's first day of school?"

"It was great actually! I even made a new friend, his name is—"

The sound of my phone cut me off.

"Hold that thought" I said placing up my index finger. "Hello?"

"Hey Rach," the sound of the younger Gilbert came through.

"Jeremy!" I nearly squealed as I walked to gain some privacy.

"Hey sorry to bug you, I know you just got home, but I had another school related question to ask you." He just sounded so darn cute.

"For the last time Jeremy: Animal Farm is about war and dictatorship" I said rolling my eyes at the kid.

"No, no," He said laughing. "It's not another Animal Farm question."

"Oh, ok give me a sec," I turned to Tyler & Mason and told them I'd talk to them later as I began walking towards the house.

"Hello Mrs. Lockwood," I said reaching the foyer.

"Hello Rachael," She said pleasantly as she walked past me stopping to check her reflection in the mirror. "How was school?"

"Good, thanks," I replied holding the phone by my ear.

"Are you any good at math?" I heard Jeremy pipe up on the receiving end of the phone call.

"Depends on the math," I answered honestly. "Hold on a sec please."

"Sure, no problem," he said patiently waiting.

"Mrs. Lockwood?" I asked as sweetly as I could. "May I study at Elena's house after school tomorrow?"

"Of course dear," she answered with more than a hint of content in her voice. "I'm glad you're making friends sweetheart."

"Thank you so much Mrs. Lockwood," I said abstaining from jumping up and down with joy.

"No problem sweetie," she said. "Just be back before dinner time alright."

"I will," I told her as she left to another room, turning my attention back to the waiting Jeremy. "Tomorrow is a go!"

"You can come tomorrow?" Jeremy asked in high spirits.

"Yup," I said happily as I headed up to my room.

"That's great," he said to me. "So then I'll just ask you my math question tomorrow then."

"Ok see you tomorrow then Jeremy," I said bringing the conversation to a close.

"See you tomorrow," he said ending it.

_I should have said no. No—I shouldn't have told Tyler I said yes. _

That was the only thought running through my head as I walked over to Elena's house with Jeremy the next day. I didn't know what Tyler's problem was, but he hasn't spoken to me since I told him I was going to Elena's house. Why was he being so immature towards me? If anything he's the one who decided that it would be better if we didn't hang out anymore than we needed to.

"You ok Rachael?" Jeremy asked noting my quietness.

"Yeah," I said looking over at him. "I'm just tired; I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Oh, ok then" Jeremy said unconvinced. "But you know that I'm here if you need to tell me anything. I mean I know we haven't known each other very long but—"

"Don't worry about it Jeremy," I smiled reassuringly. "I already consider you my B.F.F.A.D."

"B.F.F.A.D?" He chuckled in response.

"Yeah, Best Friend Forever and A Day; keep up with you acronyms Jer," I teased, lightly swatting his arm.

"You made that up," he stated, laughing along with me.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't," I said still laughing. "But it's still a fun word."

"Hey whatever makes you happy," He chuckled.

"Gee thanks," I rolled my eyes at him.

Standing in front of it, I noticed that Jeremy and Elena had a nice house. Honestly I actually felt better here than at the Lockwood's. Maybe it was because here it felt like someone's home, and not a museum with beds and a kitchen in it—or it could have just been that I felt more comfortable walking into a house, knowing Mrs. Lockwood wasn't there. It really was a bad way of thinking, considering how kind she's been to me, but something about her just didn't feel right. Unlike her son, she actually made me uneasy.

When we walked in I noticed five people; two adults, whom I assumed to be Elena and Jeremy's parents, Elena, who was sitting on the couch with Stefan, while someone I'd never seen before sat on the arm of the couch.

I didn't react well to the stranger.

It wasn't that he was evil, for chances are I would've ended up attacking him if he was. But when I looked at him, having recently decided to not take too much caution in this small town, I got this wave of hostility that made me fear him. He had black hair and mesmerizing blue eyes; he was gorgeous—there was no doubt about that. Still for some reason I couldn't put my guard back down around him.

"Hey guys, I didn't know we were having extra company," Jeremy said casually yet somewhat hostile. Apparently he sensed that I was tense, because he took it upon himself to block me from their view.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Elena said standing up and walking over to me. "Damon and Stefan felt like dropping in, hope you don't mind?"

"No of course not, it is after all your house," I said, doing my best to shrug the feeling off. "Besides you were nice enough to invite me."

"Oh and that's Damon over there," she said pointing to the one that made me ill at ease. "He's Stefan's older brother."

He simply smirked and waved his hand at me—almost in a sarcastic manner.

"And that's our aunt Jenna, and her friend Alaric," she said pointing to the two who looked like more than friends.

"Oh," I said realizing that was my history teacher. "Mr. Sal—"

"You can just call me Alaric outside the classroom," Mr. Saltzman said to me, chuckling.

"Okay," I said smiling. "Well it's nice to see you _outside_ of the classroom sir."

"She's polite," Jenna smiled and toasted with her water bottle. "I approve Jeremy."

I giggled at her implication.

"She's just a friend Jenna," Jeremy said, rolling his eyes. "Elena invited her, not me."

"That's right," Elena said still standing next to me. "So why don't you come over here and let us get to know you better?

Elena had grabbed my hand, and pulled me over to sit down on the couch next to her.

Why, oh why did I suddenly feel like I was being led into the interrogation room?—_again_.


	19. Chapter 18

**Hey guys! This chapter came pretty quick but I think it's one of my best**** so please review and tell me what you think.**

**XXxCastielxXx: Ahhhhh thanks I'm really glad you like it :D**

**xxshaggy9xx: ****I'd like to put you out of your misery and tell u if something's going to happen between Jeremy and Rachael...but I can't lol. Yes I know I suck, but I can tell you that something romantic's going to happen with Rachael and Tyler long before anything happens between Jeremy and Rachael ;)**

**Psycho17: Thanks girl, here's giving you what you wish for hehe**

**Danaisis: Yes, I already know and am glad that you already like it haha thanks for all the help girl **

I sat down with Elena on one side of me and Stefan on the other. Damon sat on rest, while Alaric stood behind the couch. I felt as if I was being forced into a corner. Starting to feel claustrophobic, I could feel my heart rate speeding up as I entered the beginning stages of hyperventilation. I could see Damon smirking through the corner of my eye—it was almost as if he was getting off on how uncomfortable I was feeling.

"Cornering a person doesn't make them warm up to you," Janna said, directing it towards them with a stern voice. "Give the girl some air please." Thankfully she could sense my discomfort.

"Right, sorry. We're just really excited to meet you," Elena said sweetly as she placed a reassuring hand on my arm. "We don't get as many new visitors here, so you're kind of a big deal."

"Not to mention the fact that the kid talks about you nonstop as if you're the best thing that's happened since the iPhone4 came out," Damon said mockingly.

Okay, Elena was being nice, not to mention the fact that she was the sister of my newfound best friend. Although Damon was giving me a good case of the nerves he hadn't been outright rude to me, yet. So why didn't I believe either of them? Why did I keep getting these feelings of ulterior motive everywhere I turned? Maybe it was my subconscious reminding me of Tyler's words when I was leaving to come here.

"Be careful when you get to Jeremy's house," he said to me as I walked towards the school's exit.

"Why?" I said turning around to look at him.

"Because there's something off about the Gilberts and the people they hang out with," he told me in a serious tone as he crossed his arms over his chest.

I had had it with his problem of me hanging out with Jeremy, "you know Tyler if your just being hateful or jealous you might as well just say so—it would make you look like less of an a**." I finished angrily as I left the building not letting him get the last word.

Of course I didn't actually think he was jealous; it was just his moodiness constantly annoyed the hell out of me. I didn't have time for any of the enigmatical vibe he was always emitting when I was around him. I know it's a contradiction to hate other people keeping secrets from you-especially when you were waist deep in your own—but my secrets were already too much of a  
problem to deal with anyone else's.

"Damon, would you please save your snide commentary for when someone actually wants to hear it?" Jeremy more demanded than asked. So Tyler wasn't the only one who Jeremy disliked.

"That's enough from the both of you," Jenna said sternly. "You're making our house guest more nervous by the second."

She had no idea.

"You'll have to excuse Damon," Elena started "sometimes he can be—"

"An a**" Jeremy said cutting Elena off.

"Jeremy, enough!" Jenna exclaimed, glaring at Jeremy. "Rachael would you like to stay for dinner?"

I turned and looked at her, "I'm sorry I can't—I promised I'd be home for dinner."

"Well why don't you just call your parents and ask if you can stay," Stefan said looking at me with inquisitive eyes.

"That's right," Alaric said I had almost forgotten he was even here. "Rachel I don't think we've met your parents yet."

I couldn't believe they were even bringing all these things up. Not like it was their fault, how could they have known my parents had died?

"Um…" I started, sinking back in my seat. "My parents act-actually died a while back." I finished, trying to keep down all the emotions that threatened to burst.

"Oh," Elena said, placing her hand o my arm sympathetically. "I am so sorry."

"It's ok." I tried my best to shrug. "It was a long time ago." But it still felt like yesterday.

"So you promised your guardian that you would be home for dinner?" Stefan guessed. I could tell he was treading lightly.

"Something like that," I nodded at him. I just knew they were going to make a big deal about this.

"Well it must be nice to have someone that caring looking after you," Mr. Saltzman said nicely towards me, rubbing my shoulder. "You know, until you can find a permanent place."

I continued to nod.

"Well I need to get dinner started," Jenna said cheerfully to lighten the mood. "Elena, Jeremy,

want to give me a hand." She more demanded than asked.

She probably wanted to scold Elena for letting Damon and Stefan stay when she knew I was going to be tonight's company. Although, why she would make Elena and Jeremy come with her, while leave me alone with the three people who were making me uncomfortable the most, was beyond me.

It was poor hosting skills in my opinion.

Without Jeremy and Elena there, I felt like the rabbit being cornered by the hawk, bobcat, and the huntsman. It wasn't a feeling I would welcome willingly.

"So Rachael," Stefan began, trying to make conversation. "How do you like  
Mystic falls so far?"

"It's been great so far," Until now. "Everyone's been really nice to me thankfully." Everyone except for your brother.

"Is this your first time in Virginia?" Alaric asked, as he rounded the couch to sit where Elena was sitting.

"Yes," I answered, trying my best, but I knew I was failing miserably, to calm down. "I lived in Colorado until recently."

"What happened, did the orphanage decide to ship you here in a box or something?" Damon asked nonchalantly as he picked his fingernails. What the hell was with this guy? Was he the poster child for a** central?

"No," I said furrowing my brows as I looked at him. "My social worker thought I would find a more loving and supportive family, in a secluded area." And a further away area.

"Sounds like a harsh place, this Colorado." Damon said in an amusing tone.

"Enough Damon," Alaric demanded towards the insensitive jerk that sat on the  
arm rest with that smirk on his face.

"I'm sure it's been on you since you've moved," Stefan said concerning. "How are you adjusting?"

"Yeah, it must be very hard without parents," Damon added on with his unwanted commentary.

"My parents have been gone a long time Damon," I said before anyone could tell him to shut up as I glared at him. "They were good people, so I would appreciate it if you didn't sit there and have fun by insulting their memory." My voice was much more venomous than usual.

"My apologizes," he said with more shock then an apologetic feel in his voice. He probably didn't expect me to speak up for myself.

"I'm sure what Damon meant to say was that it must have been hard losing them when you were young," Stefan said, trying to bring back casual conversation."Damon and I lost our parents a long time ago too so we know how it feels."

Suddenly I had this immense urge to slap him for saying that, "when your parents died you had each other" I said, my voice laced with anger. "When my parents died I had no one."

That reminded me of when I was ten; kicking, screaming, crying, at their gravestones. I hated them for leaving their ten year old daughter alone in the world, unintentional or not. At the same time I missed them so much it hurt. It felt like someone was grabbing my heart and squeezing it in their hand. That was the first day I saw red and it wouldn't be my last.

"So how did they die?" Damon asked without a hint of sincerity in his voice.

That was when I lost it, I couldn't take it anymore. These guys were asking me completely personal questions. I dint mind answering them, but this was getting out of hand. Why the hell was he asking me how did my parents die, as if he was asking me what I had for breakfast this morning. It was as if none of these guys gave a damn about how I felt about being asked questions that hit me so close to home. I wanted to scream and yell mind your own business, but I couldn't. I felt I was going to explode—in a literal sense of the word.

My eyes had begun stinging and my chest was getting heavier by the second, "would you excuse me please I have to use the bathroom." I didn't even allow them to protest, as I got up.

"Rachael—" Stefan started to say, but I didn't give him the chance.

I bolted off of the couch and ran upstairs; luckily the first door I opened was the bathroom.

Drowning out the sounds of the sobs racking through my chest, I turned on the sink. I hadn't thought of my parents deaths for five years. Five years I never allowed myself to think about it long enough to deal with the emotions. When I was ten it was different, I was a completely different person for that whole year after their deaths. When I turned eleven I had to make a change to stop crying over something I had no control over and grow thick skin. But these guys—these three strangers I knew nothing about, made me take an unwilling trip down into memory lane. For five years I had blocked my parent's death from my mind, and in five minutes they make me feel everything I had been holding in.

I couldn't stand to think about it because it brought me back to the fire. All that black smoke—that horrible suffocating feeling came back to haunt my memory as if it were only yesterday. The memories made me start hyperventilating.

Just make it stop! Someone stop the fire!

I covered up my ears with the screaming and throbbing in my head. I felt like all the blood was rushing up to my face and a train was beginning to run over my lungs. I couldn't think and I couldn't hear myself breath.

"Rachael?" I heard a knock at the door as I continued to hyperventilate.

I tried to answer but I was crying too hard "Ye-yeah?" I said, trying my best to keep my voice steady, but I knew I failed miserably.

The door opened and I saw it was Elena. She was seeing me having a panic attack on the floor by her bathtub—which was weird considering I was under the impression I was leaning over the sink.

"Oh my god, Rachael!" Elena saw my face and she had begun freaking out.

"I-I'm fi-fine," I tried to say through the sobbing and short breaths. "Rea-really I a-am."

I didn't have either of us fooled.

"No you're not," she said, kneeling next to me, as she rubbed a soothing hand on my back. "What happened?"

"They ke-kept asking m-me quest-questions about-about my parents," I said, feeling as if I couldn't breathe. Was this whet it felt like when people had asthma attacks? I continued to try to keep my breathing back to normal.

I stood and leaned over, holding myself up by pressing my hands on my knees. I placed my head between them and started taking in deep breaths, trying to regulate my respiratory system.

"Oh my god, Rachael, I'm so sorry," she said softly taking strands of hair out of my face as my breathing eased its way back to normal.

"Are you?" I asked, switching from sad to angry as I looked at her through hyaline eyes. "You're the one who invited me here! I'm not an idiot."

She sucked in a breath and looked down; guilt written all over her face. "I-I knew they were going to ask questions but—"

"Didn't know how far they would go?" I finished, sobering up as I stood fully; glaring daggers at her. "I'm tired, I want to go home."

"Rachael, I really am sorry," she said looking extremely upset with herself.

"I believe you," I said, shrugging as I walked past her, brushing against her, I didn't even apologize. I was too upset and hurt that she of all people would do such a thing.

As I made my way down the stairs and into the hallway, everyone's eyes turned towards my direction. Guilt written on Stefan and Mr. Saltzman's face—Damon looked as if he was trying to suppress a laugh.

That bastard…

As soon as Jeremy saw my face, he rushed to my side, "Rach, are-are you alright?" he said, rubbing a hand on my back. Then he stopped and looked at Damon, glaring daggers at him. "What did you do?"

"I'm fine," I assured him unconvincingly. "It was nice of you all to invite me into your home but I'm really tired. I'd like to go home if you don't mind."

"Of course," Jenna said caringly, looking over at the boys on the couch with clear accusation in her eyes. "If you want you can go out on the porch and call you guardian."

"Thanks" I said, taking my temporary cell phone from my pocket as I made my way over to the front door. "I'll just wait outside for my ride; you guys enjoy the rest of your night."

"Goodnight Rachael," Jenna said with a clear please forgive the idiots plea in her eyes.

"Goodnight," I said to her as I reached the door.

I could still hear them even as I closed the door; Jeremy's voice was the first one I heard. And it sounded as if he was yelling at Damon.

With good reason.

"What the hell did you say to her Damon?" Jeremy asked in a low, but furious tone.

"Why do you assume it was something I, Damon Salvatore, that said anything to her at all?" Damon asked, without a hint of regret in his voice.

"What do you mean why do I assume?" Jeremy hissed at him. "You do give a damn about anyone's feelings but your own."

"Ouch that really hurt," Damon said, only proving what Jeremy had said correct.

"She's a person, you guys, not a lab rat!" I heard Elena say, obviously appalled—most likely at Stefan and Mr. Saltzman.

I didn't want to hear any more of what they were saying. I walked further from the door and sat on the bench by the window. As soon as I sat down I dialed the only person's number I wanted to talk to.

Tyler Lockwood.

The phone only rang three times before he picked up, "Um-hey-hey Tyler it's  
Rachel." My voice was so uneasy; I knew he would be asking me questions once he saw me.

"Hey Rachael, is everything ok?" he asked, concern etched in his voice.

"Can you pick me up? I want to go home," and I did. Tyler's house wasn't exactly home, but it was the closest thing to it right now.

"Yeah no problem," he said on the other end, I could hear the jingle of  
something to similar to keys ring. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm just tired," I said, not wanting to think anymore about how I was just thrown into the lion's den in there.

"Alright, I'll be right there," he said, concern still in his voice. "Just give me a few minutes."

"Thank you," I said, closing the phone as I leaned back into the bench. God I really hoped Tyler would haul a** right about now. 


	20. Chapter 19

**My Wi-Fi's back up yes! This means my updates won't be as long anymore yay! I've been getting a lot of reviews asking for more Tyler and Rachael moments and maybe some more drama so I hope this chapter will be sort of a fix for everyone lol.**

xXxCastielxXx: thanks, I almost didn't want to write it because I knew how emotional she would get lol but it is part of the chain reaction that'll follow so maybe something good will come out of it ;)

brightcat12: thanks, more drama coming right up ****

AM: Thanks ****

CC: ahh thank you

Xxdarkvampireangelxx: thanks, sorry for the wait lol

Stephan King once wrote, "Life sucks, then you die."

I'm starting to think I was his inspiration. When a girl gets into a car, with a guy she considers her friend; she expects a _long_ and _comforting_ talk. Unfortunately, I knew I wasn't going to get either as soon as I saw the anger on Tyler's face when I entered the car.

He wouldn't even look at me; he was staring straight ahead, clenching and unclenching the wheel. His body was rigid and I'm 99.99% sure he wanted to tell me, "don't even talk to me or I'll kill you."

_I just can't catch a break with anyone today. _

This really sucks because, after what just happened I _really_ can't take anything else negative—from _anyone_ including Tyler.

"Tyler—"

"Would you get in the car please?" His teeth were clenched as he said this to me, not looking at me for one second.

I got in the car and buckled up. The air suddenly felt thicker, and for some reason I was getting more and more uncomfortable by the minute. He just backed out of the driveway without saying anything, and from the looks of it he wasn't about too—maybe he was mad at me…

_But what did I do?_

"Tyler-"

"Why did you do it?" Tyler hissed at me, eyes completely on the road ahead of us.

"Do what?" I inquired, looking at him with pure curiosity.

"Go to Jeremy's house!" Tyler blew up in my face. "I told you it was a bad idea; you probably knew it was a bad idea, _but_ you went anyway!"

I was trying really hard to stay numb before I did or said anything I would regret later. "I'm not a six year old Tyler, I don't need _your_ permission for _anything_," I said slowly, trying not to let the venom in my voice raise.

"I'm not talking about permission!"

_Wow, this guy really didn't know how to take a hint_

"I'm about to go to bed when I hear the phone ringing, and find out _you_ were crying! I was afraid to leave the car because if I had I would have killed the guy!"

I froze.

"Wait, what do you _think_ happened?" I finally turned to look at him, this was not happening, I knew exactly what he had thought had happened.

"You tell me," he voiced almost emotionless.

"Stefan, Damon, and Alaric asked me questions about my parents," I whispered, looking down as I fumbled with the hem of my shirt.

I heard Tyler's whoosh of relief

"Is that all?" he chuckled, wiping the back of his neck with his hand as he looked over at me.

"What do you mean is that all?" I nearly yelled, trying my best to contain myself.

"Well what I _thought_ was way worse," he said, waving his hand in the air for emphasis.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" I screamed, my voice bursting like a river through a dam. "My parents are gone and all you can say is _'is that all?'_"

"Wait," he said almost frantically, clearly shocked by my reaction. "I'm sorry,"

Those were two words I'd never thought I'd hear him say, which is why I had to ask him that again. "What?" I was more than surprised that Tyler Lockwood, the football jock who had been nothing but rude to me since I've been in his presence, was apologizing.

He sighed again, "I'm sorry. When it came to something that wasn't a big deal, I over reacted." He started off, explaining himself. "Then when it came to something that was a big deal I under reacted—I'm sorry."

Wow, this was defiantly one of the weirdest nights of my life. I wasn't even sure if this guy knew the word 'sorry' and what it meant. But he just used it perfectly—twice. I exhaled. This was much better, I was afraid that we were going to start fighting and I was going to start crying again—I didn't like crying.

"Tyler, I like you," I said slowly, trying not to get nervous again. "I really think we can be good friends, but you have to _talk_ to me and _tell_ me what's wrong once in awhile, or this friendship's never going to work."

"So were friends?" Did he just become a cocky bastard again?

"Of course, if you'll let us be," I added. "I mean, I know it's not going to be easy with your moodiness and complete stupidity when it comes to other people's feelings." I was smiling now.

"Oh and your obvious sweetness and cheerful disposition is going to make this so much easier?" he said with clear and heavy sarcasm.

"Yes," I said arrogantly. "Yes it will." I finished with a smile on my face.

He chuckled but soon became serious. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked hesitantly, clearly unsure as to whether or not he wanted to hear it.

"Do you want to talk about why you don't think someone's parent's death is a big deal?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as I spoke.

He just looked away and shook his head. I wondered if a friendship with Tyler Lockwood would actually work. He obviously had his secrets, although there was no doubt in my mind that I had more, and if secrets were always there and in the way, how could any friendship really workout? Especially if you couldn't talk about them. Then again, I've never had many real friendships to begin with, so how would I know? This was not going to be easy.

"So were friends now, it's official," Tyler said to change the subject.

"Yes and now that were friends; we can hang out at school now, can't we?" I said, starting to feel like a smartass.

"Uhh," he scratched his head awkwardly. "About that—"

"See we _were_ about to have a tender moment and you just completely ruined it," I huffed turning my back to him to look out the window.

"Rachael—"

"Tyler, I just had one of the longest days of my life and just as you were starting to make me feel better, you had to make a complete ass of yourself again," I spat out, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I was making you feel better?" I know this guy isn't getting cocky again.

"Tyler!" I screamed out, turning to look at him with a menacing look.

"Ok, ok I'm sorry," he raised his hands in surrender.

I sighed, "Tyler, why can't we be friends and hang out at school?" I asked demandingly, almost pleadingly in a way.

"It's complicated," he said, resolved. "What would people think if they found out we were living in the _same_ house after they saw that we were friends?"

"Oh, I see, you're worried about what _everyone_ _else_ would think about you," I said with false sweetness.

"Well—"

"It doesn't matter what _you_ think of yourself or how _I_ feel as long as _everyone_ _else_ still thinks highly of you," I said, still sweetly.

"No—"

"Tyler Lockwood you suck!" I screamed in his face. "You're arrogant and cocky and I'm not going to take it anymore!" 

Luckily I was screaming as soon as he parked into the driveway, which gave me the chance to run out before he could say anything. I was mad and I wasn't in the mood to be dealing with anyone so I just ran straight to my room without talking to anyone.

I was emotionally drained and as soon as I got to my room I flopped down on my bed like a sack of potatoes and laid there. I was debating whether or not I was going to just crawl into bed and stay there, when there was a light knock on my door.

"Go away Tyler" I mumbled into the pillow, already knowing it had to be him.

Another knock.

"Do you what you have to do to get into this room?" I muttered at the door angrily, my face buried into the pillow.

"What?" Mason, I recognized the voice, asked on the other end of the door, amusement laced in his voice.

I jumped up, embarrassed and ran to the door, "Mason, I'm so sorry," I said, turning redder than a tomato.

"What does Tyler have to do to get into this room?" Mason asked hilarity and confusion written all over his face.

"Nothing," I said sheepishly. "Sorry, we sort of got into a fight." I flipped a strand of hair behind my head, and looked down at my shoes.

"Lover's quarrel?" he teased.

"No," I said, my face was probably beet red by now. "Just a little disagreement," I said softly.

"Well I just thought I'd come in here and cheer you up," Mason said with a smile.

"Cheer me up?" I repeated, not sure if I heard him correctly.

"Yeah, there's a carnival going on Saturday, and you've probably never been to one. And since we're practically family now I thought I'd invite you—cotton candy's on me."

"Are you serious?" I asked excitedly. "I really have never been to one before! This is awesome!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms around him. "Thank you so much Mason."

"You're welcome, just promise you'll try to have all your problems with Tyler solved by then," he winked as he left my room.

"I promise" I grinned as I shut the door.

I was still mad at Tyler and everyone else right now, but I couldn't help but to be excited. The closest I ever came to a carnival was watching _The Lost Boys_ when I was eight. It was a carnival, so who knew what exciting things would happen?


	21. Chapter 20

**Ok, so I know a few of you got a little depressed when Tyler turned back into an ass lol. It hurt me to do it, but it had to be done because even though this is my fanfic I can't change who he is and how he would react to a situation. Hopefully he will soon realize the error of his ways and something good will happen.**

Psycho17: He is, isn't he ha-ha

When I Make It Shine: I know it was sad but hopefully things will change between them ****

xXxCastielxXx: Ahh thank you. It's nice to see someone call Tyler out on his crap once and awhile and that's why I did it lol.

**P.S. I just started my SECOND fanfic! It's called Heaven Fear Me; it's a True blood fanfic. Please read it and tell me what you think if you guys get the chance.**

I woke up early the next morning, most likely due to the sleep deprivation I was experiencing. The carnival was tomorrow and if I wanted Mason to give me any cotton candy I would have to "make up" with Tyler today; which is going to be hard considering I've been avoiding him….as well as Jeremy, Elena, Stephan, and Alaric for the past three days. It's been pure luck that I haven't run into anybody at school yet. Fortunately, for me, they've been busy because one of their friends is in the hospital so I haven't had to deal with anyone yet.

One of the ways I've been avoiding Tyler is by waking up early and walking to school. It took me longer to get to class and my feet would hurt, but it was worth it to give him the silent treatment. It was sad and childish, I know, but I couldn't care less at the moment. Walking to school was actually nice and refreshing; the air was crisp and it gave you time to think.

I was new at school so I had to focus on my school work, no matter how easily distracted I was with everything else. Classes like English and history were easy for me but math was a difficult subject in my opinion. So that morning I focused on my math homework and went through it in my head as I walked to school.

I was completely mellow until I got to the parking lot where a certain liar and supposed friend, Jeremy, stood with an apologetic look on his face. "Good morning Rachael."

"And it was starting to be such a good day," I nearly muttered as I walked passed him without a second glance.

"Wait Rach," he said pleadingly, grabbing my arm.

"I'm through talking to you Jeremy," I stated, the anger I still felt was practically written on my forehead for him to see.

"Hear me out please," he said. "I had no idea that they were going to ask you about your family—"

"But you still left me alone with them didn't you Jeremy? You knew what they were going to do—"

"No, I didn't," he said through clenched teeth. "I never would have left them alone with you if I knew."

"Whatever," I said with clear disbelief. "I haven't forgotten who invited me over Jeremy."

"Rachael!" Jeremy called as I walked off without looking back.

I was not in the mood to deal with anyone or anything at the moment. All I could do was focus on school and hope that I wouldn't have to worry about anything at the carnival tomorrow.

Unfortunately, the universe hates me. "Rachael!" Elena called.

I saw her on my way to my locker and turned right back around. "Ugh, what's a girl got to do to avoid you people? I'm going home and back to bed."

"Rachael! Please wait," Elena pleaded with puppy dog eyes as she walked over to me.

I rolled my eyes and turned around. I hated Elena's pleading face, it was so much harder to resist than Jeremy's.

"What Elena, are you here to apologize?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest as I glared at her.

"No." I raised an eyebrow at her in disbelief. "I mean I am, but I mostly wanted to talk to about Jeremy."

"What about him?" I asked, trying not to let the curiosity seep through.

"Jeremy misses you and he hates me right now for letting Damon and Stefan come over," she said as she wringed her fingers together.

"As much as I _don't_ want to say 'that's your own damn fault'…" I nearly smirked, letting my voice trail off.

"I know it is and I'm really sorry but please don't blame Jeremy. He didn't know what we were doing he was just really excited to have you over. So please don't blame him, Jeremy's going through a rough time right now and he really needs you," She said, using the full force of her eyes on me.

"He still left me alone with your friends," I stated, not sure if I wanted to forgive Jeremy just yet.

"That's only because Jenna asked him to. He knew she wanted to talk to us otherwise he never would have left you alone with them. Especially if he knew what they were going to talk about," She explained to me.

"Really?" I asked with uncertainty.

"Yes. I promise I'm telling you the truth," she said. "So will you forgive him?"

I was still a little angry at Elena for being a part of that whole thing, so I wasn't about to give her any promises.

"I'll think about it," I said, softer, looking at her skeptically.

"Thanks," she said with relief. I nodded and turned to leave. "And Rachael?"

"Yeah?" I asked as I turned back around.

"I _really_ am sorry for the other night," she said softly before turning to walk off.

I smiled as I looked at her, "I believe you."

Okay, so maybe I had over reacted to everything after that night. They didn't know what I went through with my parents and I don't think any of them meant to make me cry—with the exception of that bastard Damon. Maybe it was time to forgive and forget—with Jeremy, Elena, Stefan, and Alaric anyway. For some reason I wasn't sure if I could forgive Tyler, what he had done was almost worse than what happened in the house that night.

My mood was getting better as the morning went by and by lunchtime I was ready to see Jeremy. I saw him sitting by himself, picking at his food, with a solemn expression on his face.

_Ok, now who wouldn't forgive this guy?_

"Hey Jer," I smiled nervously, hoping he'd forgive me for this morning.

"Rach I am so sorry—"

"I know, Elena told me," I assured him, smiling gently. "I'm sorry I took out my anger on you, it—it was a long night."

"Tell me about it," he agreed, aggravated.

I sat next to him and sat in his direction. "Still B.F.F.A. D's?" I teased hopefully.

He laughed "Absolutely."

"Yay!" I cheered as I pulled him in for a hug.

It was nice to have my real first and only friend back. I missed him and not having someone you could talk to was a lot worse when you started getting use to having someone around. It was a hug that made you warm inside and could make you feel better if you were sad. It took us a minute before we finally pulled away to eat lunch.

"So Jeremy, will I see you at the carnival tomorrow?" I asked happily.

"Yeah, you're going?" he asked, sounding almost shocked.

"Of course, Mason invited me to hang out and treat me to cotton candy," I said, growing excited just thinking about it.

"Wait, Mason? Mason Lockwood?" Jeremy asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, isn't it great? I've never been to a carnival before," I said, restraining myself from clapping and squealing.

"Uhh," he said, rubbing at the back of his neck, the feeling of awkwardness practically seeping out of him.

"What is it?" I was worried that he was going to tell me I shouldn't go, but his expressions kept changing.

"I just—I can't believe you've never been to one before," he said, smiling.

I laughed. "Well I never had the chance growing up," I said with a shrug.

"So tomorrow's going to be really special for you," he said, almost assuring me.

"Yeah, it is," I grinned.

I didn't think the day could get any more different to how it was yesterday until Tyler came and sat on the other side of me. I didn't know how to react but I knew I was still mad at him.

"People can see us," I said, turning to look like I wasn't talking to him.

"I know," he stated.

I turned around to face him. "Tyler, are you going crazy? What if your friends and all the other amazing super popular kids see you?" I said, my voice laced with thick and clear sarcasm. "You might have to spend the rest of the semester eating with the geek squad." I said with mock horror.

"Look, I know I acted like a jerk okay," he said. "I wasn't trying to be an ass; it just comes naturally." he admitted, I tried not to smile at that.

"So you don't have any problem with being my friend anymore?" I asked almost curiously.

"No and I'm sorry if I ever seemed like I did," he shrugged.

"And you promise to be nice to Jeremy?" I demanded more than asked.

He made a face and Jeremy laughed. "Yeah Tyler, promise to play nice?" he said before shoveling food into his mouth.

Tyler sighed, "I promise to _try_ and play nice, no guarantees though."

I let out a long breath and looked at Jer who shrugged as if to say he didn't care if I forgave Tyler or not. I rolled my eyes. "Ok, friends?" I asked, holding out my hand for him to shake.

"Friends," he smiled and took my hand.

It's amazing how things are different with different people. When I hugged Jeremy it was warm and comforting, like getting a hug from your big brother. With Tyler all it took was a hand shake to feel like an electric current was running up my arm. I almost jumped from the shock of it. It looked like Tyler felt it too because he almost jumped out of his chair.

I turned red and looked away. "So are you going to the carnival tomorrow?" I asked as casually as possible.

"Of course," he said, looking away.

We were saved after that when a guy with blonde hair and blue eyes came over, "Hey Tyler, fancy seeing you over here." I could have sworn I saw the guy wink.

"Matt," he said, glaring a little.

"Well don't be so rude, introduce me," his smile was almost a smirk.

Tyler rolled his eyes. "Rachael this is Matt, Matt this is Rachael," he said he said with jerks of his head.

"Nice to meet you Rachael, I would have introduced myself sooner if Caroline wasn't in the hospital."

"Caroline?"

"His girlfriend," Tyler stated as if he was reminding Matt.

"She'll be out soon so maybe then you can meet her," Matt said cheerfully. "She probably won't be out until after the carnival though."

"I'm sorry your girlfriend is in the hospital, what happened?" I asked with concern.

"Me, Tyler, and her were in a car accident on our way home from the Founder's Day celebration," he said, wincing at the memory.

"Car accident?" I asked as if I hadn't heard right, looking at Tyler in confusion as to why he never told me about this accident. He looked down in return.

"Yeah, but she's much better now," he said, cheering himself right back up.

"That's great," I stated, making a mental note to myself to ask him about it later.

"Alright, well I guess I'll catch you guys tomorrow at the carnival?" Matt said before he went to leave.

"Yeah," Tyler said. "See ya tomorrow bro."

With that Matt left with a wave. I turned back to Tyler and glared my eyes at him.

"Tyler Lockwood, a car accident?"


	22. Chapter 21

**Ok, so I know we were all relieved when Tyler got off his high horse and finally became friends with Rachael. It has been a long time coming, but someone **_**finally**_** deflated his ego. So the carnival scene is finally here! I hope you were all looking forward to what happens next. **

**Jensi: Thanks, I hope you like it. **

**shippolove844: Well, you never know when the romance will start **

**xxshaggy9xx: Thanks, it's nice to know your still loving it.**

**xXxCastielxXx: It was a relief for me too; hope you like this chapter as much as the last one.**

**P.S Happy belated Valentine's Day!**

It was moments like these I wished I had been born a wolf. You mate young, have kids and then a few years later you were dead. It's a lot simpler that way. When you're human things are a lot more complicated because you have to deal with humans who act like animals—stupid animals; stupid animals that get themselves into car accidents.

"It's a long story," Tyler said weakly, not even bothering to look me in the eye.

"You know what, it's better if I don't ask," I said, more to myself than to Tyler.

"Probably," Tyler said awkwardly, looking away.

I sighed. All was forgiven with everyone—save for Damon, that guy can rot in hell for all I care. Nothing could ruin this day, so I let it go. As the day wore on things seemed to be going great.

When you're having a pleasing day time seems to go by faster. Before I knew it, it was tomorrow morning and I was waking up all perky and giddy for the day's events. I practically skipped downstairs to make breakfast—a chore I gave myself out of appreciation for the Lockwood's hospitality—and put some eggs into a frying pan.

"Something smells good," Mason said, walking down stairs in his pajamas, rubbing his eyes.

"Good morning Mason," I said cheerfully.

"Well aren't you bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning," Mason smiled as he came to see what I was preparing.

"Of course, today's going to be a great day, I can tell," I grinned as I continued to cook the food.

"A sixth sense of yours?" Mason teased, nudging me in the shoulders.

"Of course," I said, making sure my sarcasm was noted.

"Something smells amazing—what is it?" Tyler asked sleepily, walking downstairs in nothing but his boxers.

"I'm making breakfast," I said as casually as possible.

I really didn't want to wake up in the morning to see Tyler shirtless—because than I would have that image plastered in my mind for the next twenty-four hours. I put all my effort into concentrating on making eggs and bacon while Tyler sat down like it was nothing. _Jerk_.

"Sounds good, how many eggs do we get?" Tyler smiled.

"How many eggs do you want?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Four?" he replied to me as if there was nothing wrong with that response.

"Bottomless pit," I muttered so he would hear me clearly.

"That sounds good, I'll have the same and can the bacon be crispy?" Mason asked.

"Sure," I said, rolling my eyes.

"I'd like my eggs sunny side up," Tyler stated, getting carried away with the fact that I was cooking for them now.

"And I'd like mine scrambled," Mason said joining in on the joke.

"Honestly you two," Mrs. Lockwood came downstairs, already fully dressed. "Rachael's a guest not a maid," she said sternly.

"Thank you," I stated nodding a good morning to her as well.

"She's the one that decided to make breakfast," Mason said as an excuse, raising his hands in defense.

"Treat her respectfully while she does it," she demanded. "By the way dear, would you get me some orange juice?" she said, sitting down.

_So much for not treating me like a maid_

"Of course" I said politely as I went to the refrigerators to get the carton.

"So I hear your going to the carnival tonight," she said pleasantly.

"If that's all right with you Mrs. Lockwood," I said almost nervously, pouring her a glass of orange juice and setting it in front of her.

"Of course it is, especially since Mason and Tyler will be there to make sure your ok. A pretty girl like you shouldn't be wondering alone anywhere at night," she said matter of factly.

"I'm not someone you need to worry about," I assured her, feeling bitter at the truth of the statement.

"Don't be silly, of course we need to worry about you," Mrs. Lockwood stated, I was probably just imagining the double meaning in her words.

"Would you like a ride Rachael or are you going with your boyfriend?" Mason asked playfully as he went and got his eggs and bacon.

"Boyfriend?" Tyler and I said at the same time as we also got some of the breakfast I had prepared.

"Aren't you hanging out with that kid…what's his name?" Mason asked as he ate, clearly enjoying the awkwardness he had just created.

"Jeremy's my _friend,_" I said, turning red. "And I'd appreciate the ride, I'm only meeting him there," I stated as I sat at the table finally.

"You're not going with Tyler?" Mrs. Lockwood asked innocently, a suspicious smile on her face.

"I asked if he wanted to hang out with me and Jer but—"

"I said hell no," Tyler smiled grimly as he ate his bacon.

"Well I'm sure it will be fun anyway. What do you plan on wearing tonight Rachael?" she asked suddenly, changing the subject.

"Why? Do I have to look nice?" I asked with curiosity in my voice as I ate my food.

"No, but it's better to look your best when you're going out on occasions like these," she said with a shrug as she sipped her juice.

"My best?" I asked, becoming nervous.

"Of course. I wouldn't expect you to know about these things, being a runaway orphan and all, but now that you're settling and finding a new home here you should _always_ look your best," she stated almost sternly.

"I wouldn't—"

"'Know how to do that' it's perfectly understandable." she stated "So I'll help you."

"Thank you," I said, almost like a question. _Was she being serious right now?_

"No problem, now hurry up with breakfast dear," she said as she was already done with her juice.

Was this woman for real? I mean sure, when you're an orphan you don't really worry about that stuff, but then again why would you? What message would you be sending? I may have no home or family but gosh darn it I'm a very lovely lady! I guess it's important to look your best when you're making roots with the likes of the Lockwood's, but how much time would I need?

Turns out, a lot of time when you were being helped out by Mrs. Lockwood. First I couldn't wear some hand-me down of hers—it _had_ to be a new outfit. We ended up spending the rest of the morning shopping. Second, after we went shopping and found _something_ presentable, she decided she just had to show _me_ how to do _my_ hair— wearing it plain and straight wasn't going to do it for her. So she spent who knows how much time adding flips and waves to my hair. She had already bought me some makeup and used some of hers to make me look what she called, "perfectly presentable."

By the time she was done using me as her own real life Barbie doll, it was almost time for me to leave. Tyler was already gone, so Mason drove me. It wasn't that I didn't appreciate all the pampering and girl time—I haven't had any in awhile—but I felt the more she did for me, the more I would have to pay her back later. It was a really cruel thing to think in my opinion, because she's been nothing but sweet and courteous to me.

Maybe that was the problem. Mrs. Lockwood just didn't seem like the type of woman to give a little without expecting a lot in return.

"Have fun tonight," she said cheerfully, waving as Mason and I walked to the door.

"Don't worry, I'll have her home by midnight," Mason said teasingly as we made our way for the car.

"See that you do, make sure you keep an eye on her Mason," she demanded as she went to close the door.

"Of course I won't leave a pretty thing like her alone," Mason said, winking at me as walked me to the passenger side of the car. "My lady," he said opening the door for me and holding out a hand for me to get in.

"Why thank you kind sir," I said as I took his hand and got in. "Come on! We don't want to miss out on all the cotton candy you promised to buy me," I smiled, buckling myself in as he entered the car.

The carnival was a lot more than I expected; once I saw the bright lights I started jumping up and down in my seat in anticipation. I tried not to get my expectations up any higher than they already were as we got closer to the carnival. I learned that when you build up a lot of expectations for something, it usually ends up being less than you thought it would be—so it's best to just look forward to it and go with the flow.

I jumped out of the car as soon as Mason parked and he laughed, "ok, now I know you must be really excited but don't let that cloud your better judgment."

"I won't," I promised practically dancing on my toes as we got closer and closer to the entrance.

"Good, so go find your friends, and then after awhile meet me up by the arm wrestling booth. After that we can go get some cotton candy," he grinned.

"Really?" I asked excitedly, the way Mrs. Lockwood spoke I thought we would be spending the rest of the carnival together.

"Of course. You're not a child and I trust you, as long as we spend _some_ time together I don't think we'll be breaking any rules," he winked,

"Thanks Mason," I hugged him. "I'll see you later."

"See you," he waved and we went our separate ways.

I made sure to keep an eye out for Jeremy or Tyler as I walked around in awe at everything I saw. Booths of games and rides were everywhere I turned. I felt like a kid in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. I then saw Jeremy at one of the booths talking to Damon and practically ran over. Damon wasn't someone anyone should be with alone from what I could tell.

I stopped suddenly when I saw the ring Jeremy held up to Damon's face, it was exactly like the ring my father had before he died. I walked backwards and hid in a corner, something in my gut told me this was not a conversation I want to interrupt.

"You seem to forget I have this, you can't kill me," Jeremy said, sounding smug at the fact that he had this particular ring.

"I can't kill you _as_ easily," Damon corrected Jeremy. "Don't get me wrong, I can still kill you, it would just be a harder job—especially with that little Rachael of yours."

"You leave her out of this," Jeremy demanded angrily, stepping up to Damon.

"I wouldn't dream of it, considering she isn't human and I don't know what she's capable of—_yet_" he grinned.

"What are you talking about Damon?" Jeremy asked with clear confusion.

"You mean Elena hasn't told you yet?" Damon asked smugly with false shock. "Your new girlfriend is some sort of half woman, half demon, and _you_, of all people, didn't know?"

"What?" Jeremy asked, becoming angry.

"You seem so surprised. You shouldn't be, since you never seem to crush on anyone normal," Damon smirked. "I thought Rachael was easily making you forget about your little Anna until last night."

"Don't you _dare _bring Anna into this," Jeremy hissed, getting dangerously closer to Damon.

"Why, you had seemed to forget all about her when Rachael came around, and who can blame you? Rachael being as nice as she is and as sweet looking as a cupcake," Damon said, albeit it was supposed to be a compliment, it sounded all the more menacing coming from Damon's lips.

Jeremy looked like he was about to try fighting Damon, when Damon grabbed Jeremy by the collar of his shirt and pulled him forward. "I can't believe you didn't figure it out sooner, Rachael _Moore_, did it not occur to you that she could be a descendant from the Founding Families? Now listen closely Jeremy, if your little friend is a threat to me than she's dead, simple as that. So I suggest you make sure she isn't." he said with a smirk on his face.

"You make me sick," Jeremy hissed.

"And you are lucky I have other things to worry about right now than your girlfriend. Otherwise I'd go looking for her," Damon smiled, automatically turning Jeremy's angry expression to one of concern. "And she's hanging out with you tonight right?"

"You bastard, you hurt Rachel and I'll blow the whole lid off this thing by telling someone what you really are," Jeremy threatened to Damon.

_What exactly was Damon?_

"So please tell me that, that is not a threat," Damon said not taking what Jeremy had just said seriously.

"Maybe it is," Jeremy replied, unfazed by the fact that Damon was fearless and not afraid to kill.

Before I could even register what was happening, Damon had his arm wrapped around Jeremy's neck, cutting off his air supply.

"This is what we're _not_ gonna do. We're _not_ gonna walk around like we're invincible, when it's _this_ easy for me to end you," Damon hissed in Jeremy's ear before violently letting him go as Jeremy coughed for air. "If you really wanna tell people what I really am, g'head and try," Damon said smirking as he held up Jeremy's ring in front of him. "I will shove this ring so far up your ass; you'll really have something to choke on."

And with that he flicked the ring to Jeremy's forehead before he walked off completely careless of what had just happened.

I just stood there, frozen. I didn't know what to think. Three things I was sure about: one, Damon knew something about my condition, the reason I don't look people in the eye, two, Damon and most likely Stefan, were _not_ human either, and three, almost all the people I considered my friends knew something that had to do with the supernatural. My brain automatically shut down. When it does that I go straight to survival mode: don't think, don't worry, just run and survive.

I wasn't sure who was strong enough to protect me from someone as sadistic as Damon Salvatore. I knew that if anyone stood a chance against him though, it would be Mason.

"Mason!" I yelled, running around frantically as I looked for him "Mason?"

"Rachael?" I heard his voice call behind me.

"Mason," I let out a relieved breath, suddenly overjoyed as I saw him sitting and betting someone in an arm wrestling contest.

I walked up to him and threw my arms around him in relief. "Well it's good to see you too Rachael," he chuckled.

I just sniffed, trying not to cry. Things were bad. Things were _really_ bad.


	23. Chapter 22

**Hey guys! Sorry for the cliff hanger. This is probably the **_**longest**_** chapter I've ever written, so it should make up for the delay. I promise to never do it again! *looks behind back* had my fingers crossed, HA! I hope you like this chapter.**

**xxshaggy9xx: I'm glad you like it and I appreciate you staying loyal, even though me keeping you waiting probably annoys you. I promise something's going to happen but I think good relationships start slow. Maybe this chapter will give you a bit of the fix you need *wink* **

**shippolove844: He is, isn't he lol but I'm sure he's that way for love…..somewhere deep down**

**xXxCastielxXx: She really is! I wanted to show that she was a wolf in sheep's clothing and it looks like I'm accomplishing that so thank you very much**

_**Beta's Note: I am so terribly sorry for the extremely long wait, redashrose sent this to me at the end of February and I've just been so horribly busy with my last year of high school that I didn't set aside time to tend to this wonderful piece of work she is sharing with you. So please don't be cross with her, I am entirely to blame for the nearly month long wait.**_

_**-DanaIsis**_

It's official. My life is a soap opera; _these are the supernatural days of my life_. I was trying not to cry on Mason's shoulder, without success, in a carnival full of people because my best friend was consorting with some sort of monster. So far my great night was going to hell.

"Hey, what's going on?" Mason asked catching on to my misery. "Are you crying?"

"No," I said weakly, even I knew I wasn't fooling anyone.

"What happened?" he asked, pulling me in front of him so he could see my face. "You were only gone a few minutes. Did that Jeremy kid do something to you?" he asked, his voice becoming a near growl.

I just shook my head vigorously and wiped away any stray tears that managed to fall down my face. I felt like my throat dropped into my stomach and that my heart was going to beat out of my chest. I was scared, that was for sure, but I hurt a lot more. Jeremy was hanging around God knows what, and from what Damon said, he was just using me to forget some girl named Anna. Even if I did forgive Jeremy we couldn't go back to the way things were. I only liked Jeremy as a friend.

"Why hello Rachael," a chilling voice said behind me.

I turned around horrified to see Damon with his brother Stefan. Damon had a smirk on his face, I wondered if he ever took that expression off, while Stefan was smiling in a relaxed manner.

"Damon," I nearly whispered before trying my best to compose myself.

"How are you Rachael?" Stefan asked, taking a good look at my face while his smile turned to a frown of concern.

"Fine," I lied, clutching on to Mason's shoulder.

"Listen Rachael, I haven't been able to apologize for what happened between us at Elena's house yet, it was a huge mistake on my part," he said in a honey sweet voice that was about as real as a six dollar bill.

I suddenly managed to muster up some courage since I was quickly getting angry. This was entirely his fault! I was happy in Mystic Falls until he showed up and ruined everything!

"I don't believe _that_ anymore than I believe that you can say a true apology, Damon," I hissed at him.

"Ouch, so mean," Damon said with a fake flinch and clear sarcasm.

"You guys need to either enjoy the carnival or leave," Mason said with a clear threat in his voice, putting his hand over mine comfortingly.

"You seem to be beating everyone today Mason," I stated trying to change the subject. "I don't think anybody can beat you," I said towards Damon and Stefan.

"Don't be so sure," Damon said, finally whipping the smirk off his face and nudging Stefan forward.

Mason looked excited at the challenge while I was just trying not to look desperate for Mason's win. If Mason won that means that he stands a chance against Damon in a fight, but if Stefan won there was a good chance I was a sitting duck. I didn't have to worry long though, luckily Mason pinned Stefan's arm down in two seconds. I instantly relaxed; it was my turn to smirk.

"That's some great arm you have their Stefan," I said with clear sarcasm.

Stefan just gave a weak smile and walked over to his brother. Damon clearly wasn't happy.

"You didn't put in any effort at all," I heard him clearly upset and disappointed.

"Yeah, actually I did," he assured his brother with worry in his voice.

I just smirked in triumph before congratulating Mason. Clearly I was safe for now as long as I stayed with him. Tyler walked up to me after that; I hadn't even noticed him there.

"Hey Rachael," he said as he came over.

"Hi Tyler, I was just complimenting Mason's strength," I said teasingly, almost high off of relief.

"That runs in the family you know," he said; was he flirting with me?

"Yeah, he has to get some of his traits from me after all," Mason laughed, nudging Tyler in the arm.

I smiled, relaxing "I'm sure."

"Rachael, are you going to be with Tyler and Mason long? I know Elena and Stefan would _love_ for you to spend some time with them," he said, nudging his brother forward

"Come with us Rach, it'll be fun," Stefan said, clearly catching on to what was happening.

I don't know why but Stefan just wasn't capable of scaring me the way Damon was. It was like comparing the lamb to the lion in my opinion. I kept thinking of what Damon had said earlier too, they didn't know what I was capable of…yet. I just looked at Stefan without a glimpse of fear. "Sure Stefan, I would love too."

"Are you sure Rachael?" Mason asked, concerned. "You're more than welcome to stay here with us."

"I'm fine," I assured him. "The three of us should meet for cotton candy later though."

I suddenly wanted answers more than I wanted to stay safe. If they had really wanted to hurt me they would have done it by now, right? I walked off with Stefan and I knew he knew that the shit was about to hit the fan.

As soon as we were in a secluded enough area I pounced. "You and your brother are a real piece of work do you know that?" I hissed.

"I don't know what you mean." was he playing dumb or was he just plain stupid, I doubted the latter and relied on the former.

"Save it Stefan," I demanded. "I heard Damon threatening Jeremy."

"What?"

"Yeah. You and Elena never invited me because you liked me or because I was friends with Jeremy, you were threatened by me," I nearly yelled, angry tears stinging my eyes.

"Rachael—"

"Stop with the bullshit!" I demanded. " Do you have _any_ idea what it feels like, knowing that I wasn't making any _real_ friends, but knowing someone just saw me as a threat?" I was crying now.

"Rachael—"

"If you were all just using me, why not just confront me in the first place instead of sneaking around and pretending to be my friend? Was this some kind of sick game for you?" I asked, hurt and confused.

"Of course not," Stefan said, guilt written all over his face. "It started when we found out your last name was Moore. We may have known an ancestor of yours and we needed to see if you were a threat to us."

"Why would I be a threat?" I asked.

"Because Elizabeth Moore was a vampire hunter—a _very_ good vampire hunter," he stated. "She was our best friend, but she turned out to be very secretive person, we never knew what she was exactly."

I froze. They wouldn't be worried about a vampire hunter unless…"You and Damon are vampires?" I asked in a whisper.

He nodded. "We were turned soon after Elizabeth left town."

I couldn't wrap my head around this. "So if Elizabeth was a vampire hunter but she left town, why are _you_ so worried about _me_? I'm not Elizabeth and even if I was I could never hunt down my friends and kill them whether they were vampires or not!"

"I said the same thing to Damon after you came to visit Elena, but Damon doesn't trust anything he can't overpower or understand," he said waving his hand for emphasis.

"I'm not a vampire hunter Stefan," I assured him. "I don't even know what I am but I'm certainly not what Elizabeth was—she hunted down vampires but I can't kill anything unless it's evil."

"What?" he asked, his face becoming a mask of confusion.

"Yeah it's against my nature; if a person is evil I'll attack them—no matter where I am or who I'm with. If they're not evil I'm basically defenseless," I stated, wrapping my arms around me.

"That's odd, Elizabeth never had that problem," Stefan stated neutrally.

"So you were spying on me for nothing? Have a nice life Stefan," I said walking away, my emotions finally wearing down to a complete 180 of the joy I felt at the beginning of the day.

"Rachael!" Stefan called his voice dripping with guilt as I walked off.

"Screw you," I said giving him one last glance.

"Hi Rachael," Elena said cheerfully when she saw me.

"Backstabber," I called her as I veered off into the oppisite direction of her.

"What?" she asked, grabbing my arm and forcing me to look at her.

"I know the real reason why Damon and Stefan interrogated me Elena, and I know they're vampires," I hissed in a hushed voice.

"What? How?" she asked in shock.

"I overheard Damon threatening Jeremy—he was using me. And just now Stefan told me my ancestor was a vampire hunter. You know you people have a lot of issues you need to work out you know that?" I stated angrily.

"Damon and Stefan," Elena said angrily, smacking herself on the forehead.

"I can't believe all of you! Pretending to be my friends, and then turning out to be using me to save your own asses because you thought I was a threat! What kind of monster's are you?" I asked in disbelief.

"We were afraid of what we thought you were capable of—and I was afraid for Jeremy, but that doesn't mean we didn't like you," Elena assured me softly.

"You can't be friends with someone your afraid of Elena, it doesn't work that way," I said.

I turned around to walk off again when the coppery smell hit me like a tidal wave and made me stop in my tracks. I almost doubled over in nausea. I haven't smelled that rusty iron smell in almost four years and here it was, practically hitting me in the face with the force of it.

"What is it?" Elena asked noting my change of posture.

By this time Stefan was next to Elena as I looked around for the source of the stench.

Elena was looking from me to Stefan with a curious look on her face. Stefan had the same facial expression I did. Of course a vampire could smell what I smelled.

"Blood," we stated at the same time.

I quickly started panicking. "Stefan I can't stay here. If I see someone evil here is causing the smell I'll attack them no matter where I am; I won't have a choice—or any self-control," I said nervously, my hands wiping the perspiration from my brow.

"It's ok Rachael," Stefan assured me with a calm voice. "How did you get here?"

"Mason drove me," I stated, looking down on the ground so I wouldn't have to see anyone.

"Mason Lockwood?" Elena asked confused.

"Yes, I'm living with the Lockwood's okay. Please don't tell anyone," I pleaded. "Mrs. Lockwood offered me a home when I didn't have anywhere else to go."

"Your secret's safe with us Rachael," Elena said empathetically, patting my on my shoulder.

"Elena could you take Rachael to the parking lot and make sure she doesn't see anybody by accident?" Stefan asked looking to Elena.

"Sure," Elena nodded, putting her hands over my eyes. "It's gonna be ok Rachael," she assured me as she led me forward.

I couldn't see anything as we kept talking, but the voice we heard near the parking lot was as clear as crystal.

"Yeah, but your already dead" that icy voice that clearly belonged to the one person I loathed since the day I met him said—Damon.

I took Elena's hands away from my face and we looked over to see Damon talking to a blonde girl with a horrified look on her blood covered mouth.

"No, I'm no. Don't say that, ok, just help me. Help me please," she said frantically, on the brink of tears.

"Ok, ok, calm down, it's going to be ok," Damon said comfortingly.

This was defiantly a weird sight, Damon was being nice, not to mention comforting…what was with the wooden stake in his hand…and when has Damon ever been nice?

"Oh my God," I freaked out as soon as I saw that stake going near the blonde girl's heart.

"Damon, no!" Elena yelled.

We ran to stop him but luckily Stefan already pushed him and the stake fell to the ground before she could get hurt. Unfortunately, Damon didn't get the hint; he grabbed the stake and went for her heart again. The next thing I knew, Elena was in front of the stake while I had one hand on the stake and the other was clutching Damon's side, stopping him from moving forward.

I pulled him away from Elena and gave Damon a hard slap across the face, "you don't hurt innocent people," I stated demandingly.

"You don't slap me across the face," Damon stated angrily, stepping forward menacingly.

"Damon—"

"Don't worry Elena, Damon can't hurt me," I stated, folding my arms across my chest.

"Oh, can't I?" Damon asked, raising his eyebrow.

"No. You have no idea what I'm capable of; at least, that's what you told Jeremy when you were threatening him," I smirked angrily.

Damon frowned at my knowledge, "how—"

"Save the questions," I demanded. "If you had just confronted me about everything, none of this would be happening. I would have told you that I'm physically incapable of hurting innocent people and everything would have been fine, but you had to make a mess out of everything!" I yelled.

"Oh" Damon stated, not sure what to make of the situation.

"Yeah, 'oh'," I said, clearly implying that he was an idiot before turning to the blonde haired girl. "Are you ok?" I asked her as she cried.

She just shook her head silently before turning around to find Bonnie had watched the whole transition. She just kept shaking her head and started sobbing again.

"Stefan why don't you go clean Caroline up?" Elena suggested before turning back to Damon.

"Whatever happens, it's on you two," Damon said, pointing his fingers at us.

"Rachael, why don't you go find Mason, I'm sure the Lockwood's are wondering where you are," Elena suggested.

"But what about the source of the—" I froze again.

With all the commotion of Damon staking Caroline I didn't see where the source of the blood had come from. Turning to where the source of the blood was the strongest I saw a dead man in the bed of a truck with drying blood on his neck. I gasped and backed up, horrified.

"Wish you hadn't stopped me from staking her now?" Damon asked cockily.

I turned to see a grief stricken Caroline. "No Damon, I'm not," I stated. "It was an accident—I'm sure," I said looking sympathetically at Caroline.

"She's a _vampire_ Rachael, of course it wasn't an 'accident'," Damon scoffed.

"But she's still a good person Damon," I said softly. "And so are you. Otherwise I would have tried killing you both by now—that's how my abilities work."

"What?" he asked a puzzled look on his face.

I rolled my eyes, "this is why you both should have come talked to me when you first met me."

"No time like the present," Damon stated folding his hands in front of him and putting on a mock smile as he looked at me sarcastically. "I have to bury this body where they won't find it anyway."

"Are you asking me to answer your questions while helping you bury a body at the same time?" I asked in disbelief.

Before he could reply Elena interrupted, "give us your life story later Rachael, Mason will go looking for you soon if he hasn't already, and we can't let him worry about you."

"Your right," I said. "I'll come back after I've found Mason."

When I left them I searched for Mason and Tyler everywhere, including the cotton candy booth where Mason was suppose to treat me. I looked around at least twice before I gave up and rushed back to the back of the carnival to get help searching.

"I can't find Mason anywhere you guys," I nearly whined.

I stopped when I found Bonnie with tears running down her face while Damon put the shovel near the body. Suddenly Damon was on the ground wreathing in pain while Bonnie kept staring at him as if she was making this happen. Gasoline was being poured onto the side walk.

"I told you what would happen if anyone else got hurt," she said through angry tears.

Oh my God, Bonnie was making this happen.

"I didn't do this!" Damon screeched, holding his head as if it was about to explode.

"Bonnie, it wasn't his fault," Elena said confused, clearly this wasn't something Bonnie would normally do.

"_Everything_ that happens is _his_ fault Elena," Bonnie stated, evidently this girl has reached her breaking point and cracked.

"Bonnie what are you doing?" Elena asked, her voice dripping with worry.

Bonnie had somehow set the gasoline on fire and it was slowly making its way towards Damon.

"Stop!" I said my voice barely above a whisper.

"Bonnie stop! What are you doing?" Elena asked frantically.

My body was crippling and it suddenly felt as though a train was running over my lungs. I was hyperventilating at the site of the fire and I couldn't get myself away from it. It was like some invisible force was making me stand there and watch my nightmares come to life. The fire had reached Damon and he was soon screaming and thrashing around like a worm caught on a hook. Damon was on fire, but I still couldn't make myself move forward. All the memories seemed to be hitting me full force and it felt like a drill was being pounded into my head, stopping me from trying to help him.

"Stop Bonnie, please," I pleaded, collapsing on the ground.

"Bonnie stop! You're going to kill him, you're giving Rachael a panic attack," Elena yelled terrified.

But Bonnie wasn't listening. I could barely see anything since my vision was blurred, but I could still see her there, chanting in concentration. My panting was worsening by the minute as I watched Damon and I was getting nauseous. I couldn't take much more of this.

"Bonnie!" Elena yelled too fed up to stay in her place anymore.

I watched Elena jump over the fire and shake Bonnie out of her trance. As soon as the fire was gone I could breath. I gasped for air as if I wish a fish that was finally thrown back into water. I managed to crawl over to where Damon was. I didn't like Damon and he may have wanted me dead, but I couldn't watch him die in a fire, nobody deserved to die like that. Damon was a good person somewhere deep down so he deserved to live.

Unfortunately, Bonnie didn't seem to agree with me.

"What, why, why did you stop me?" she asked demandingly pushing Elena away.

"Because this isn't us Bonnie! This can't be us," Elena said, still somewhat frantic, putting her hands over her friend.

I reached over and cradled Damon's head in my lap "Are you okay?" I asked in between pants, trying not to cry. I seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.

He nodded weakly and I turned to look at Bonnie with a shocked and horrified look on my face

"Oh God," I heard her say before burying her head in Elena's shoulder.

I don't know what she's been through in her life or why she did this, but at the moment I didn't care, I _hated_ her. I hated her for doing this to Damon; I hated her for putting me through that without even blinking. She didn't even know me, she didn't know or understand what I was and she didn't care. She put me through that. She was a monster.

As soon as Damon was on his feet I rushed to the parking lot where Mason was waiting for me.

"Hey Rachael, have a good time?" he asked with a smile on his face.

"Where were you all night?" I demanded, getting into the car without looking at him.

"Tyler ran into some trouble here in the parking lot and he needed my help," Mason stated. "But I did get you some cotton candy," he said, putting it in my face as I looked out the window.

I took it without a word and I only took a tiny piece of it out of politeness for Mason. My stomach was in knots and the cotton candy tasted bitter on my mouth. I just kept staring out the window in silence, being angry at the world. Why did bad things always happen to me? Why does anything good in my life get taken away? I never hurt anyone within my own free will, so what did I do that was so wrong that made hell follow me wherever I went?

As soon as we got to the house I got out of the car without looking back and went inside.

"Hello Rachael how was the carnival?" Mrs. Lockwood asked in genuine cheer.

I wasn't in the mood to talk to her or anyone. I just walked straight to my room and slammed the door shut. I flopped down on my bed and started crying my eyes out. My lungs still hurt and my heart ached. I couldn't deal with anything else right now.

I heard I quiet knock on the door. "Go away Mason," I said pleadingly, what does a girl have to do to make sure somebody takes a hint in this town.

I heard the sound of the door creaking open.

"It's not Mason."

I turned to see Tyler at the door with a bashful and sympathetic look on his face.

"What is it Tyler?" I asked, turning back over to stare at the wall.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Is that a trick question?" I asked. Was he being serious right now?

"Right, stupid question, sorry," he said.

I heard the door close behind me so I thought he had given up and left, I was wrong. Before I could register what was happening a warm body was wrapping itself around mine on the bed.

"Tyler?" I turned around in shock to see his face close to mine.

"Relax," he said. "I'm not going to jump you or anything I just think it would be nicer and easier to talk this way," he said turning my head back around so I was still facing the walls.

It _was_ easier to talk this way. His body felt warm and familiar for some reason. Our bodies seemed to fit together—it was as if I was a puzzle and I had just found the missing piece I needed. He was lying on his side and his body was pressed up against mine with an arm wrapped around my waist. I know I should have been protesting or should have at least been turning red but this didn't feel inappropriate at all—just safe and warm.

"Rachael what happened today?" Tyler asked gently.

This made me start sobbing again.

"It was really bad." I stated as Tyler moved my hair out of my face comfortingly. "It was suppose to be one of the best days of my life and everything got shot to hell," I stated, sniffling.

"Damn, I'm sorry Rachael. I know this night meant a lot to you," he said sympathetically.

"Want to know the worst part?" I asked.

"What?" he asked with authentic curiosity and concern in his voice.

"Your mom didn't put any waterproof mascara on my face, this stuff burns like hell," I stated before chuckling weakly.

This got us both laughing and I finally got the courage to lay on my back to get a good look at him.

"I'm sorry Rachael, I know you had big plans for tonight," he said, stroking my face with his thumb.

"I never had any real plans," I admitted softly, trying to ignore the tingling sensation on my cheek where his thumb was touching. "I mean, sure, I kind of had this fantasy in my head where everything was perfect, but it was just focusing on me and my friends having a good time."

"Sometimes our expectations and fantasies can't meet up to the real thing," Tyler said with a shrug.

"Tell me about it. And now it seems I have all these problems waiting to creep up on me," I admitted, turning back around because my face was getting hot.

"Well you know, those problems will always be waiting for you in the morning," Tyler stated matter-of-factly.

"Is that supposed to be comforting?" I asked in disbelief, he better not be pulling this again.

"Yes, because you don't have to deal with them right now," he said in my ear. "'Don't do today what you can put off until tomorrow' is practically my life's motto," he said proudly, making me laugh. "So worry about those problems tomorrow, you still have tonight," he said softly.

"Touché," I said, already feeling better.

We didn't talk for awhile after that. I just enjoyed the feel of his breath against my ear and his muscular body leaning against my back. This may sound weird outside my head, but I really liked the sound of this guy's heart beat. It was steady and soothing, like a lullaby. When he started to shift away from me I grabbed his hand and made a sound of discontent.

"Tyler, stay with me until I fall asleep," I pleaded sleepily.

"Um," he said quietly, unsure.

"Please," I asked softly.

I don't know what it was that made him do it, but he finally gave in.

"Just until you fall asleep," he promised, snuggling closer to my body—as if that was even possible.

I smiled a little, "thank you."

If I had been more coherent I probably wouldn't have been able to ask. If I hadn't been so messed up I probably would have freaked out when he laid down next to me. But I was messed up and tired I didn't care. All I knew was I needed someone—him there with me. As long as I've been here Tyler Lockwood has been the most straightforward with me. Even when he told me he didn't want people seeing us together in public he let me know, he hadn't lied to me like eveyone else I met had done. Tyler was practically the only person in Mystic Falls I felt comfortable around besides Mason who was the big brother I had always wanted, but never had. Finally having a relaxed mindset with the help of Tyler's comfort I was able to drift off into a state of unconsciousness.

_**Beta's Note: I promise—scout's honour—that the next chapter redashrose sends me will not be prolonged as long as this one was.**_

_**-DanaIsis**_


	24. Chapter 23

**I was really looking forward to writing this chapter, not just because you learn more about Rachael but because this is where the relationship between Rachael and Tyler really starts progressing. I really hope everyone else thinks they're starting to progress too. **

**Shippolove844: Thanks for the great comment **** I think it's a good thing that Rachael has some limitations too**

**BlueChic: Will do **

**Rhiannon: Thank you **** I'm really glad you like it **

**xXxCastielxXx: Thanks for the long review, I loved it! Things are going to be even more cleared up now and who knows; maybe Rachael and Damon will become friends in the future **

**Tyler's POV**

I woke up because of some loud annoying noise that somehow made its way to my…this wasn't my room. This room had purple bed sheets and fancy wall paper. Had I slept in another girls room and forgot about it, well it wouldn't be the first time.

I heard a sigh and someone roll over on the bed. _Rachael_! In my own house! Now that's a first…wait, I would've remembered being with Rachael. As last night's event's came rushing back I remembered how this happened. Rachael came back into the house looking like a mess.

She looked hot when she was supporting Mason's arm wrestling win, but she came back to the house with mascara running down her face, looking like a raccoon. I couldn't help but wonder what happened, she was so excited about the carnival, but then she wouldn't even be polite to my mother and talk to her, not that I could really blame her.

_Mason must have seen the worry on my face and said, "Why don't you go check on her?" he nudged me forward._

_My mom actually agreed with Mason. "We can't have her being sad and depressed, and then everyone else might get that way too," she admitted._

_I rolled my eyes and walked up to Rachael's room. She had demanded that Mason leave but I just walked in and the next thing I knew I was on the bed with her._

Maybe it was just the sad look on her face or the fact that I couldn't leave a damsel in distress alone, but I comforted her and I stayed when she asked me to.

I had no intention of falling asleep and staying with her throughout the night. It had just taken her so long to fall asleep that eventually I fell asleep too. I wouldn't have if it hadn't taken her so long to fall asleep and if her breathing hadn't been so soothing. It just happened and I had no intention of staying in this bed.

I rolled over so I wasn't lying on my side anymore and was on my back with every intention of moving off the bed when suddenly Rachael shifted too. She sighed and shifted so now she was snuggling on her side with her head lying atop my chest. Well now I really couldn't move with the risk of waking her up so rudely, especially knowing that she had a difficult night; not to mention that I was, if truth be told, very comfortable.

Later, I would wake up and leave after I slept more.

**Rachael's POV **

I was really comfortable and sleeping like the dead when suddenly the sound of my phone vibrating woke me up with a start. Observing my surroundings I realized my head, as well as half my body, was draped over Tyler's chest. I relaxed as I remembered him being there for me last night.

I looked at my phone, agitated at whoever woke me up. "Hello?" I said, irritated and voice full of grogginess and drowsy.

"Rise and shine, sleeping demon," the voice on the receiver said to me; their words laced with venom.

I instantly tensed, "Damon, what do you want?" I demanded.

"So grouchy, didn't get enough beauty sleep?" I could practically see the smirk I wanted to wipe off his face.

"I _was_ sleeping, you're the one that called and woke me up," I stated very matter-of-factly. "What the hell do you want?" I asked, irritated that he had still interrupted the peacefulness I was succumbed in earlier.

"Wanna come over?" he said almost cheerfully and sarcastically.

"Wanna drop dead?" I said in a sickly sweet voice, mimicking his own.

"I'm being serious," he replied with a hint of agitation.

"Oh really? Likewise," I said, almost laughing into the phone.

"Rachael. Come over," he demanded more than questioned.

"Damon, oh dear, evil, little Damon," I started off. "The chance of me willingly coming anywhere near you are about the same chance a snowball has in hell."

"Oh really? That's too bad," he said mockingly into the phone. "Because as we speak…I'm in the same room with the only person in a hundred mile radius that can easily track down where you are."

"You're lying," I stated, feeling suspicious as I sat upright in the bed.

"Am I?" he said, again I could practically see him smirking.

I wrestled with myself internally but finally gave in. "Fine. This had better be good Damon," I hissed softly, not wanting to wake Tyler up

"See you soon," he stated before hanging up.

I shut the phone angrily and got out of bed gently. I really didn't want to get out of bed right now and it wasn't just because the guy sleeping next to me was looking more like the sweet prince in a girl's fairytale, than the resident douche bag in chick flicks these days. He just looks so much more appealing when he's sleeping.

I went into the bathroom and jumped into the shower before getting dressed. I grabbed my bag and gave one last longing look back to the sleeping form in my bed before mentally cursing Damon and heading out the door.

Things didn't get any better when Mason finally let me borrow his car. I was in the front seat and realized I had to call that idiot back when he didn't give me his address.

Thank god this phone has call history.

When I finally did get to the Salvatore house I couldn't help but stare, it didn't look like any house I had ever lived in. When I walked up to the house I didn't bother being polite, they _made _me come here after all. I just walked in to hear the wrong end of the conversation.

"I've been on this planet a hundred sixty some odd years, never came across one. If werewolves exist, then where the hell are they?" Damon asked to the room.

"I'm sorry, _werewolves_?" I asked skeptically, I could feel the tense furrowing of my brow as I looked at each person in the room as if they had grown a gnome on their head.

"Oh Rachael, how nice of you to _barge _in," Damon said, leaning back in his seat. It was as if I was meeting the Godfather for the first time

"Oh Damon, how nice of you to invite me over while I was still sleeping," I rebutted walking more into the grand size room, being sure to take in all my surroundings.

"Ah, what's the matter, get out of Tyler's bed too quickly?" he said, his face twisted into a menacing smile that wasn't intended for happiness, but for my own public humiliation.

I could feel the beads of sweat beginning to form as my face got hot, and my cheeks burned with redness. "No and I don't know what gives you the right to talk. My guess is that if the inside of your pants was any more open to the public it would be a Walmart by now."

There was a light chuckle and smirk came from the history teacher, Alaric. Even Elena looked like she was holding back a fit of the giggles.

"Calm down guys" Stefan said in all seriousness, the small smirk apparent on his thin lips, but once again always the serious, responsible brother.

"Who do you think are werewolves?" I asked as I went to sit on the edge of the arm rest on the chair no one was near.

"The now deceased Mayor Lockwood, the teen-angst filled Tyler Lockwood, and the faux-caring uncle Mason Lockwood," Damon stated his face never cracking a smile. "You've been living in the same house as dogs."

"That makes perfect sense," I stated smiling. "It makes total and absolute sense! Tyler's a werewolf, Sheriff Forbes is a unicorn, and Jenna is a mermaid! It all makes sense now! That's why this town is called _Mystic_ Falls." I said with thick and heavy sarcasm, being sure to emphasize on certain parts.

"Yeah, you can put them all on the list of things that _wouldn't_ exist. Along with whatever _you_ are," Damon stated with equal fake sarcasm, whipping the grin off my face.

"Back off Damon," Elena demanded, clearly implying that he went too far.

"Oh no it's ok, I mean after everything else that's happened since _I_ came here Damon's bull crap is—welcoming," I said angrily, getting up. "Don't you think that if I had been living with werewolves I would have known about it?"

"Oh of course you would, just like you knew you were associating with vampires?" Damon rebutted, his eyes bulging and narrowing with every other word, giving him an intimidating look.

"Wrong. I was hanging out with _someone_ who _associates_ with vampires. And I plan on resolving that problem real quickly," I stated, clearly being a smartass.

"Rachael, please," Elena pleaded. "We really need your help."

"And if you help us, we can help you in return," Damon said, as if I really needed something from them.

"What could someone like you possibly offer me?" I practically hissed at him as I headed for the door.

"Information about who and what you are," he boasted in one sentence.

Upon hearing that my feet planted themselves into the ground as I slowly turned back around and looked at the four of them standing in the room, intently looking at me; regarding my actions. "I'm listening," I raised my eyebrow and folded my hands in front of myself.

"Alaric here happens to be a researcher and expert on the supernatural. So you scratch our backs, we scratch yours," he said in a way that made me want to distrust him more.

"I'm not a spy Damon. And if I was I wouldn't be able to tell you anything about the Lockwood's except that they're not evil," I said to all of them. "Although Mrs. Lockwood does tend to make me a little nervous."

"See, now there's a start eh? We're making progress already," Damon stated and motioned for me to take a seat.

"Rachael, why don't you tell me when you first noticed you had unexplainable abilities," Alaric asked gently.

"So you basically want my life story" I sighed and plopped on the couch, not wanting to recall these memories at all.

"Kind of, yes," Alaric admitted awkwardly.

I thought for a long and hard minute. Finally making my decision, I sighed heavily and answered them, "_no_ interruptions and _no_ questions until the end of the story got it?" I asked, demanding.

They all nodded and I took a deep breath.

"I wasn't _born_ in a hospital, I was _sent_ to one. I had been told that my mother couldn't take care of me anymore but she never explained why. I got that explanation when my parents told me I was adopted. Of course it wasn't hard to figure out since I looked nothing like them and they were Hispanic. Of course I don't remember that part and I don't even care. I had the best parent's in the world, two people who were good, kind, and loved me with everything they had. They gave me the best ten years of my life.

"When you're that young nothing can hurt you and the world's a happy place. I never worried about anything or had any clue about what the real world was like and that's the way it's supposed to be. Everyone deserves the chance to feel safe, to grow up slowly. I had that for awhile.

"But a few months after my tenth birthday I rode my bike home from a Girls Scout meeting to find my house surrounded by fire trucks. My house was burning down. The house was up in smoke, the surrounding area was black as night, and it was hard to breathe just being around the place.

"I remembered that my parents were inside the house so I jumped off, with the intention that I would reach them in time and be able to save them. The firefighters held me back of course. I couldn't go near the house no matter how much I begged or screamed or cried. But they couldn't stop me from watching my house burn down to the ground, with my family in it. Even if my parent's had still been alive before then they couldn't have made it.

"My mother was also a foster child and my father didn't really have parents. His dad walked out on them and his mother was an alcoholic. I didn't have a stable environment to go to so I was put into foster care by the local government.

"The world became a dark place after that. I was forced to see that life was unfair and that bad things could happen to good people for no apparent reason. I had to grow up fast and realize that there were in fact bad people in the world. There wasn't any happiness anymore, at least not for me.

"That's when I noticed the changes. The owners of the orphanage, Frank and Luan Cuthridge, considered themselves good, God fearing people, so nothing happened to me at first. But since I was sad and miserable all the time because of my parent's death it made it easier to get angry. So when I did get angry my eyes would turn red; I could feel them burning, it was like they were on fire. I could feel myself losing control of my body. Frank couldn't have that of course, it was unnatural, and it was going against everything he believed in. I guess I drove him to insanity because he soon believed I was the 'spawn of Satan'."

I heard a chuckle and looked up to see it was coming from Damon. God did I want to knock that smug smirk off of his face.

"Damon," Elena said with an authoritative voice, glaring over at Damon's direction.

"Sorry, right '_no_ interruptions," Damon mumbled to me, not being serious at all as he continued looking as if he was trying to suppress a chuckle. "Go on."

"Anyway," I began again as I sighed. "He started beating me, guess he thought if he hit me hard and long enough whatever was wrong with me would leave his household. Luan was no better I'm sure in her head she was saying 'better he hit her than me' so I really didn't have any choice but to put up with it.

"I was the oldest; I felt responsible for the other kids in there and I knew that if he had to stop hitting me he would start hitting one of them. And I couldn't live with myself if I ran away knowing that he would just move on to beating the rest of the kids. So while I was there I learned to lie for the first time so that teachers would believe me when I said I fell or walked into a wall by accident.

"But one day I tried running for good, I only lasted a day before the guilt lead me back to the orphanage. What I saw there horrified me.

Frank had taken his belt to one of the other kids, Annie. I could handle him hitting me and treating me like I was something unholy, but Annie…she was only eight.

I completely snapped and lost control. It was as if my brain had disconnected from the rest of my body and I attacked him. I could feel all the pain he caused to other people and I gave it right back to him.

"Annie was knocked unconscious so she hadn't seen what I'd done but Luan had. She basically went nuts after that and was sent to a mental hospital. I had killed Frank. He lost too much blood. None of the other kids had seen what had taken place so they believed me when I said he went crazy and ended up killing himself. I told the same thing to the police too."

I stayed numb throughout the whole story so it felt as though someone else was telling it and my reoccurring nightmares weren't coming back to me. I didn't know what these people would think of me after they found out I killed a man. They would probably think I was some sort of beast even though I never had any intentions of murdering someone.

What happened next shocked me. "I'm so sorry Rachael," Elena said, pulling me in, as she embraced her thin arms around my unmoving form.

"I thought you would all scream and force me out of your house," I admitted quietly as I hugged Elena back

"Why would we do that? I've done worse," Damon stated, was it just me or did he almost sound proud?

"You've done worse?" I asked in disbelief.

"That really shouldn't surprise anyone" Stefan muttered.

"You said you made him feel the pain he caused others," Alaric said before Damon could rebut "How?"

"All I can remember is losing control and biting him," I shrugged.

"On the neck?" Alaric asked.

"Yes."

"Wow, the girl must be half vampire," Damon said sarcastically.

"Vampires can't have children and even if they could they probably wouldn't be able to go into the sun without a ring, eventually they would burn up," Alaric retorted.

"So," I stated with a disappointed voice. "I'm still the same mystery I was this morning. Thanks for this," I stated angrily, trying not to let them see how agitated and upset that I still had no clue why I am the way I am.

"Relax it," Damon said, rolling his eyes. "We're going to find out, it's just going to take us some time."

"Until then you should stay with Stefan, he can keep an eye on you, just in case," Elena said patting her hand on my back.

She really was the nurturing, comforting type wasn't she?

"Thanks but I don't need a babysitter," I said snarkily, folding my arms across my chest.

"Rachael, it's just a precaution—"

"I've been taking care of myself since the incident, I do _not_ need your help," I said with a glare, knocking her arm off of me as I stood.

"Please Rachael let us help you," Elena pleaded, standing with me and gripping my shoulders to stop me from leaving.

"Yes, because you were so helpful last night when Damon was dying and I was having a panic attack," I said with thick sarcasm.

Elena got a pained look on her face, "I'm sorry Rachael."

Damn I hated when she gave me that stupid Bambi look. I sighed, "I guess I could use some help and I'll help you out for awhile," I stated.

What was I getting myself into?

Tyler had invited me to a party he was throwing In the woods. I was glad that Tyler had been nice enough to invite me and that we were hanging out but I felt bad for spying on him. Damon had told me that I had to keep an eye on the Lockwood's and look out for any suspicious "wolfy" behavior as he so grandly put it.

The only suspicious thing I had seen so far was when Mason came and didn't crash the party. I had walked up to him to say hi and once again I heard the wrong end of the conversation.

"Make sure everyone's out of here by dark," Mason told Tyler, it was probably as close as he was ever going to get when it came for sounding authoritative.

"What happens after dark?" Tyler asked curiously.

"Hi Rachael," Mason said cheerfully, clearly avoiding the question.

"Hey Mason, thanks for letting me borrow your car this morning," I said cheerfully.

"No problem, where'd you go?" he asked curiously.

"I was with Elena," now it was my turn to avoid the question.

"You were with Gilbert again?" Tyler asked, his voice laced with an edge of anger and something else I couldn't identify.

"No," I shook my head, it was true.

"Look I'm not asking you to cancel your party just move it somewhere else," Mason said, changing the subject before Tyler and I began arguing.

"Do you want me to tell Matt?" I asked Tyler.

"Yeah," he said with a nod, using his head to point in Matt's direction.

I nodded and I could've sworn that as I walked off I could hear Mason say something along the lines of, "you shouldn't get jealous if you're not going to make a move Tyler." But maybe I was just imagining things, and heard the wrong thing.

Unfortunately I couldn't stay and hang out with Tyler long because I was also suppose to stay with Stefan and help Caroline. I may need someone to look after me around people but Caroline needed an all day babysitter since she was a newborn.

I couldn't help but be a little jealous of Caroline though, she has someone to tell her what she is, to show her exactly what's going on with her now that she's changed. I had none of that. I have yet to see another one of my kind. I have no idea what I am or what can happen to me, at least Caroline has a teacher.

"When you're a vampire all those natural behaviors become sort of amplified," Stefan said gently talking to Caroline.

"So what your saying is…that now, I'm basically an insecure, neurotic, control freak on crack," she said, disbelief coloring her tone.

"Well, you'll certainly keep Matt on his toes," I said as cheerfully as possible.

"Hi," Caroline stated, probably unsure how to respond to the stranger who helped save her undead life.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Rachael," I said politely. "We've met before…just on somewhat worsen circumstances."

She just paused and looked at me for a minute, "I'm Caroline," she smiled nervously.

"Rachael's helping us out with the werewolf situation," Stefan said.

"I'm not going to be very helpful," I assured him, "Tyler's my friend."

"Just your friend?" Caroline asked with a mischievous smile.

"Definitely," I stated, my face turning red.

"Anything interesting happen while you were with him?" Stefan asked.

"Mason told us the party has to move, he wants everyone out before dark."

"Interesting, Rachael can you please do me a favor and take a look around, tell me if you find anything worth mentioning?" Stefan asked.

"This isn't exactly familiar territory Stefan," I said, pointing out the obvious.

"I know, but just for a little while?" Stefan asked pleadingly. "If you run into trouble we'll both hear you."

"Fine, I guess," I said, rolling my eyes and heading off into no particular direction.

"Thanks Rachael," Stefan smiled.

"Uh-huh," I suppressed a smile, waving my hand as I walked off.

Truth be told, I didn't know what to think about my situation. I was helping people, who may or may not be my friends, spy on a guy who was my friend. The fact that I may have feelings for Tyler didn't make the situation easier, but I had to do what I could. If there was any way to find out about my past, what made me what I am, I would do anything I possibly could. For the past few years it was all I had ever really wanted other than to survive.

Unfortunately, ever since I came to this place everything's becoming more and more complicated than I thought possible. Jeremy, my first ever best friend was using me to get over a girl named Anna. The guy I might like and man I like to call the big brother I never had are possible werewolves. A witch named Bonnie nearly killed me last night and she also happens to be the best friend of the sister who was another close friend. Not to mention the fact that she appears to be in a love triangle with two vampires who may or may not be a link to my past.

What a tangled web we weave.

I was just about done scoping out the forest—or at least what I could. As much as I wanted to look around and admire this beautiful place it was getting dark and Caroline and Stefan might need me. Just as I was about to head back though I heard some sort of creaking noise.

Turns out there were some sort of tunnel almost completely unnoticeable to the naked eye out here. I had to be really careful in here because even though it looked cool this place was obviously old and it gave me the creeps. But of course I had the curious cat bug, and I walked down the stairs and through the gate to find something that completely freaked me out.

Tyler was hidden in this place with some girl and I was frozen there like some sort of statue.

"And your single right?" the girl asked him in a sugary seductive voice.

"Oh yeah" Tyler nodded, a wolf like grin – no pun intended – on his stupid face.

"Oh yeah he's single. You can definitely bet he's single," I said in disappointed and upset voice, not believing what I saw.

They both turned around, finally noticing my presence.

"Rachael." Tyler said shocked.

Why was I frozen like this? I didn't know why it hurt and confused me so much to see Tyler Lockwood with another girl but I did know I couldn't stand the sight of it anymore. I ran out of there as fast as I could, ignoring the cries of "Rachael!" I heard coming back from the cave. I didn't want to see him; I didn't want to see anybody.

**Elena's POV **

I had just called Stefan and warned him about the wolves when Damon called me back into the next room. "What is it Damon?"

"Look at what I found," he grinned waving a copy of The Moore near my face.

"I thought you guys already agreed that Rachael wasn't an Eruoica," I said in confusion, crossing my arms.

"We did because Rachael can't look people in the eye and Elizabeth could…or so we thought," he said mischievously.

"What do you mean?" I asked, becoming worried.

"We met Elizabeth after her seventeenth birthday, now how old is Rachael?"

"Sixteen, why?" I asked curiously.

"According to this book Eruoica's are almost completely uncontrollable until their seventeenth birthday. When they turn seventeen they will come into their full powers so they can learn to control themselves. Until then, if they see evil it's almost impossible not to kill them and it's worse because they're like blood hounds, they can smell something in a person's blood so they know whom to kill. We never saw Elizabeth attack anyone because she was seventeen when we met her. If she had been an Eruoica she would have been in control of her powers by then, so she wouldn't have to worry about looking people in the eye," Damon explained knowingly.

"Unlike Rachael who's sixteen and still uncontrollable" I said realizing we were right the first time around. "This is bad, this is really bad."


	25. Chapter 24

**Hey guys! I hope you all liked the last chapter as much as I did ****Things can only get more interesting from here so let's see what happens next**

**Jensi: Thanks, that means a lot, hope you like this chapter even more**

**xXxCastielxXx: I felt sorry for her too but I knew that as soon as Tyler started having actual feelings for Racheal he'd do anything to crush them, which is why he was in the tomb to vegin with lol**

**Alicja w Krainie Czarow: Thanks! That means a lot, also I think poland is AWESOME! lol so thanks for the greetings**

**Maisie Jones: Thanks, but to be honest, I'm not sure if I can have Jeremy and Rachael kiss...I can think of a lot of readers who would be really,really mad at me for doing that lol. Also, I based Rachael Off of what I wished I looked like instead of a celebrity (sad, I know, but it seemed like a good idea at the time) lol**

**Rue Dawn: Thanks but I think you might have to wait until they're not pissed at eachother before you get some love lol**

**P.S I do own vampire diaries…..in my mind, outside it, it belongs to the author and whoever was smart enough to turn it into a TV series **

I hate Tyler, I hate Tyler, and I _hate_ Tyler! As I walked back to where Caroline and Stefan were waiting for me that's all I could think about, how much I hated Tyler for what he did.

I knew that wasn't right though. Tyler and I weren't dating, we were barley even friends but for some reason I felt hurt. Hurt was an understatement even, I felt betrayed, angry, and humiliated. I felt like Tyler punched me in the stomach and then squeezed my heart out for good measure. But I couldn't figure out why.

"Your jealous," a little voice inside my head whispered.

"I am not!"

"Yes you are. Why else would you be acting this way? You thought the two of you had something so you got jealous when you finally saw him acting like a single man."

"Well, thank you Dr. Phyllis,"I muttered to the voice annoyed, knowing it was right.

Hating myself now for acting jealous, I was walking back to the party, muttering to myself, when it hit me. Another wave of nausea came over me when I smelled the blood. It was worse when I could recognize where the smell came from and I knew the smell was disappearing. It was disappearing because someone was taking the blood away, but how…

_Caroline!_ The realization hit me like a ton of bricks and I started running towards the smell.

When I finally got there Caroline had her fangs in Matt's wrist and was sucking out his blood as though she was drinking a slushy on a hot day. This was bad. "Caroline!" I yelled trying to get her attention away from Matt.

"Caroline stop!" Stefan yelled, getting there the same time I did.

"Caroline your hurting Matt!" I was near screaming, she wasn't getting off him, Caroline was out of control.

Luckily, Stefan got a hold of Caroline and managed to pull her off Matt.

It was a sight I had never seen before, Caroline's face was disoriented and it wasn't a pretty sight. Her fangs were sticking out and veins were bulging out of her face. She looked scary and ready to kill.

"Caroline, what the hell's the matter with you? That's Matt," I told her, hoping to help Stefan snap her out of it.

Unfortunately, it wasn't us who snapped her out of it, something much more terrifying made her snap out of it. A loud crashing noise followed by some sort of loud howling. Uh oh, I just remembered, tonight's a full moon. If Damon was right…none of us were safe right now. "Stefan," I whispered in fear.

Stefan turned to Caroline, "We're going to run and it's going to follow us. We need to get it away from Matt so I need you to run as fast as you can, do you understand me?"

Caroline nodded. "Go, go now," Stefan demanded.

Wait a second, how am I suppose to run that fast, I'm not a—

Before I could blink Stefan had me on his back and we were running through the forest faster than I could've believed possible. What was his problem? Even if they were in danger that doesn't mean I am. I'm not a vampire. I've never needed saving from anything. I have always had the opposite problem, so why was Stefan running so hard to take me away from something that wasn't a threat to me?

The next thing we knew though, I fell off of Stefan's back and we were being attacked by an oversized wolf. This couldn't be happening, I looked into the wolf's eyes as it stood in front of Caroline. "Mason?" I asked breathlessly in disbelief

This can't be happening, all my life I've been told stories about things that couldn't exist. When I became the nightmare, I thought that _I_ was all there was to it—but this werewolf was looking me in the eye in hesitation. It was almost as if it could understand me, it was as though it was intelligent.

As I spoke to it, it hesitated, as if he somehow _recognized_ me. Oh lord, that _was_ Mason, wasn't it? This couldn't be happening. Caroline was trembling in fear under the man who had taken me into his family as if I was his own flesh and blood. Mason, who had been the big brother I always wanted. I couldn't hurt Mason, but I couldn't let him hurt Caroline either.

"Mason," I nearly whispered to him, maybe I could bring him back to life. "Bad dog!"

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say.

Mason jumped on top of Caroline, snarling and looking down right menacing. "Stop!" I yelled.

"No!" I heard Tyler's voice yell out behind me.

Suddenly Mason was jumping offof Caroline and running in the opposite direction.

I let out a breath of relief. "Thank God," I said before helping Caroline to her feet.

"Is everyone ok?" Tyler asked, looking at me.

"We're fine, thanks," I said, looking away, I really didn't want to deal with this right now.

"Thanks for saving Caroline Tyler," Stefan said.

I pulled Stefan in for a hug. "Thanks for saving me," I said. "Though I didn't need it," I assured him when I moved back to look at his face.

"Yes you did," he said, clearly implying something, I gave him a questioning look.

"We should go," Caroline said, entailing that we should all talk in private.

"Thanks again for all the help Tyler," I told him, avoiding looking him in the eye as I did so.

"Rachael, can we talk?" he asked as he walked over to me.

"Go ahead," Caroline said with an almost mischievous smile. "We'll wait for you back in the woods." She assured me as they left.

"What do you want Tyler?" I asked, annoyed. I had better things to do than deal with him right now.

"Rachael, about earlier—"

"It's nothing, I shouldn't have reacted like that," I admitted, trying not to turn red.

"You _shouldn't_ have?"

"No! I shouldn't have expected anything—especially from you," I gave a slight shrug.

"Wait, what do you mean, 'especially from you'," he asked, starting to glare at me.

"Come on Tyler," I said, rolling my eyes. "Your dad just died and you probably couldn't handle a serious relationship with me right now, even if you wanted one. To be honest I have a lot on my plate too. We should probably draw the line at friendship and leave it there, don't you think?" I said with an air of indifference.

"First of all, you barely know me; your _no_ judge for what I can and can't handle—"

"You won't _let_ me get to know you," I stated, nearly hissing as I stepped closer to him.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Tyler demanded.

"You keep things from me. I have no doubt in mind that your mother keeps things from me," I mumbled the last part. "And I'm pretty sure Mason's keeping secrets from me too; it's just one big lying family," I said with false happiness, throwing my hands in the air.

"Oh, like you don't have secrets of your own?" he said with clear accusation.

"Maybe I do, but that's my point! Ok! I _don't_ want this. You all took me in as part of your family, but you can't start any kind of family or relationship based on secrets and lies!" I yelled.

"Oh, and what would you know about family? You freaky orphaned runaway!" he yelled with venom laced in each and every word.

I gasped. I couldn't believe he just said that to me.

"Oh god, Rachael—"

"You know what Tyler?" I said angrily, shutting him up. "This has become _way _too much drama. I have enough to deal with without worrying if you want to be my friend or something more, or whether you want nothing to do with me at all. So I'm going to make this easier on both of us, I'm done."

"What—"

"Your mother gave me a place to stay when I had nowhere else to go and I have nowhere else to go. So I guess that makes us house mates until I can get a place of my own, but that is _all_ we will be." I stated, turning around to leave.

"Oh and Tyler, that means I want you to leave me and Jeremy alone too," I said for emphasis, not even sure if Jeremy and I were still friends.

I turned and left him gaping at my back. God I had just made a huge mess of things. I wonder if drawing a clear line between us will actually make things better. Well, I doubt that I could make things any worse.

I walked back to where Caroline and Stefan were. They were already starting the conversation without me. "He is the one person in this world that I would _never _want to hurt," Caroline shook her head, almost in disbelief.

"It's not going to get any easier," Stefan said sorrowfully.

"Are you talking about with what happened to Matt?" I asked.

They turned and noticed me. "Yeah," Caroline said, lowering her head in shame.

"Caroline, I don't know what you should do," I answered honestly. "I've never felt what I see you feel for Matt, but when I was lost and confused after my parents died I avoided people and that just made it worse."

"But when you avoided people it's because you didn't have much of a choice," Stefan said. "You never knew when you would see someone and lose control."

"And I'm the same way," Caroline said on a chocking sob. "I might lose it at any second and you might not be there to stop me next time."

"But you love him," I said, shaking my head at her line of thought.

"Which means I should be able to let him go if I have to," Caroline said weakly,

I gave her a sympathetic look and stayed quiet, there really wasn't anything I could say. Suddenly my phone started ringing. As soon as I saw the ID I wanted to chuck my phone into a lake. "Damon now is not the time," I hissed.

"You're going to _want_ to hear this," Damon said seriously—all sarcasm thrown out the window.

"What?" I asked, becoming curious against my better judgment.

"Well, the reason we didn't think you were like Elizabeth is because you can't look people in the eye and she could. But what we didn't know was that the only reason that she could was because she was seventeen when we met her."

"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked.

"When an Eruoica turns seventeen they will come into their full powers, which means they can learn to control them, but they can't until then—"

"Which is why I'm completely uncontrollable," I finished.

"And you won't be controllable until…" Damon questioned.

"My birthday's not for another month," I admitted.

"Well then I think we should make sure you're prepared for that time because if you are an Eruoica your birthday isn't going to be very pleasant—for anyone," Damon stated.

"What do you mean?" I asked nervously.

"I'll explain later, Oh, and by the way, I'm going to need you to stay at the Lockwood's house for as long as you can," he said almost in a sheepish sort of voice (or as close as someone like Damon would ever get to one).

"Why?" I asked suspiciously, I had planned on moving out as _soon_ as possible.

"Because you and werewolves have a magical bond," he stated bluntly.

"What!" I asked, trying not to sound freaked out and disgusted.

"Yeah, according to legend the Aztec shaman who cursed werewolves was married to the witch that cursed Centehua's babies," he said.

"Who's Centehua?" I asked.

"Your ancestor, possibly. I have a book on The Moore's and Elizabeth's diary, you should tell Mrs. Lockwood you're spending the night at Elena's. Elena already has a guest bed for you. You'll come to our house while we figure this out and then you can go to Elena's house afterwards."

"Duly noted, thanks Damon," I said—actually grateful that he had picked up a phone and told this to me.

"Yeah, yeah. See you in awhile," he said before hanging up.

I turned to Stefan. "That werewolf wasn't after you, was it?" I asked, guilt seeping through my voice.

"It was after all of us Rachael" Stefan said comfortingly.

I laughed. "Yeah, right," I tried not to cry. "This whole day has been a nightmare."

"I'm sorry Rachael, maybe you should call it a night?" he suggested.

"No, I want answers," I shook my head.

Stefan sighed. "So I'm guessing you're going to need a ride to my house," Stefan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'd appreciated it," I nodded.

After calling Mrs. Lockwood and telling her I would spend the night at Elena's we went straight to Stefan's house. Damon was already there with a stricken look on his face.

"Are you ok?" I couldn't help but ask.

"I'm fine, I have The Moore right here, it would seem as though you _are_ an Eruoica, and you have all the symptoms and appearance of one," he said, his brows becoming so close together it almost looked like one.

"Appearance?"

"You look almost exactly like Elizabeth and you have some of her same traits. Elizabeth attracted men as easily as Katherine did, the only difference is Elizabeth was oblivious to it—you seem to be the same way"

"I haven't attracted anyone," I shook my head in disbelief.

Damon rolled his eyes. "It's like your twins—_stupid_ twins"

"What did you find out about me Damon?" I asked irritably, cutting to the chase.

"According to this book, a woman had fallen in love with a demon who had been banished from hell—"

"How do you get banished from hell?" I asked in disbelief, almost wanting to laugh at the thought.

"Apparently he was too mischievous and he made everyone's _afterlife_ a living hell" Damon shrugged, the right corner of his lip raising as he fingered through the book.

I took a long pause before saying. "Is this your way of telling me you're my great-great grandfather or something?" I asked sarcastically.

"You wouldn't be this attracted to me if I was your great grandfather," Damon smirked as he eyed me with his piercing blue eyes and held that sinister smile on his face.

"Moving on," Stefan said before I could rebut. "Continue," he told Damon sternly.

"Anyway, when he got her pregnant he was sent _back_ to hell. He would've gone back anyway; once he found out it was a girl. Unfortunately for everyone, Centehua's best friend was a witch. The witch was her midwife and once she saw the baby's eye's glow red she wanted it destroyed. But she loved Centehua and Centehua loved her baby, so she cursed the baby instead."

"Do all witches hate other supernatural beings?" I asked with clear venom in my voice—thinking back to Bonnie.

"No, we're just special," Damon smirked at me, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, since the baby was half demon and killing was in its nature, the witch just took the baby's choice away. It would kill, as was its nature, but it would only kill evil people."

"And thus the Eruoica was born," Stefan added.

"Exactly. According to legend the curse is passed down onto all its _female_ decedents," Damon said leaning against the back of the chair.

"Is there a way to stop the curse?" I asked.

"Would you want a cure?" Damon asked, raising his eyebrow. "You have _demon's_ blood in your veins—you're going to kill again with or without a curse, it's in your nature." Damon smirked, no doubt comparing me to himself.

"I don't believe that," I said, not wanting it to be true.

"Believe it, it's in your blood so, you don't really have a choice," he said, the truth was definitely behind his words.

"Stop it Damon," Stefan said, patting me on the back in comfort. "There's always a choice Rachael."

"I don't believe you," I said, becoming frantic. "I'm not a bad person—I'm better than you'll _ever_ be!"

"That may be true, but let me ask you this," he said pointing a finger towards the ceiling as he looked at me. "How do you feel about killing Frank?" he asked smugly.

"It was an accident!"

"I'm not saying it wasn't, but I asked you how you _felt_ about it," he said, his eyes narrowing at me as he caught me up in his words. "You seem to feel worse about looking like a monster, than the fact that a man is now dead…because of you," Damon said as if he was somehow all knowing.

This stopped me cold. He was right.

I felt worse about what I did than Frank's actual death, because the fact that he was dead didn't actually matter to me.

"_He was the monster, he deserved what he got_," a menacing voice whispered in my head as if it was nothing.

"_I killed someone,_" the better half of me whispered.

"_He hurt innocent people, he was a monster!_"

"_He was a person—_"

"_That man was barely more human than you are!_"

I snapped

"_Shut up!_"I yelled to the whole room.

"Rachael!" Stefan yelled for me as I ran.

I ran out of the house and to where I was supposed to be staying for the night. I didn't want to talk to Elena and there is no way in hell I could talk to Tyler about this. There was only one other person I could go to.

I went to the Gilbert's house and knocked on the door, hoping somebody would answer soon. I know they said I could spend the night, but it was late. I wouldn't have even bothered trying if it wasn't for the fact that I really wanted to avoid Tyler right now.

"Hey Rachael," Jenna smiled as she opened the door.

"Hi Jenna, sorry for coming so late," I said sheepishly as I shrugged.

"No problem, I was staying up late anyway and fell asleep on the couch. I completely forgot about the time so I'm actually grateful you showed up," she said cheerfully yet sleepily.

"Thanks," I smiled as I stepped into the foyer.

"Guest rooms upstairs, first door to the left," she said pointing up and left.

I thanked her again and walked upstairs, avoiding the guest room completely. I wanted to go to bed, but there was something I had to do first. I opened another door to find Jeremy's room (wow, I am really good at finding the right room at the right time). He was sleeping and all I could do was hope that when he woke up he wouldn't be upset at me—and that he doesn't go to bed commando.

Now I know it's incredibly rude to wake someone up in their own house, but I wasn't exactly my usually collected self right now. I walked into Jeremy's room and gently shook him awake. He woke up with a start. Thank God he wore boxers to bed.

"What—"

"Jeremy?" I whispered nervously.

"Rach, what are you doing here?" he asked, rubbing his eyes as he turned.

"Elena let me spend the night, I hope it's ok."

"Sure it is, but are you ok? You don't look so good…"

"It's dark, how can you tell I don't look so good?" I said as a retort.

He chuckled sleepily. "Lucky guess, now what's going on Rachael?"

"I'm half demon Jeremy," I said slowly.

"I know," he smiled slightly as he sat up in the bed. "Did you wake me up just to tell me that?"

"I killed someone when I was twelve years old because of it," I whispered, bowing my head in shame.

"What?" he whispered in disbelief.

"He was a horrible man who bet me; six out of seven days for reasons that don't make sense—but I realize that's no excuse. I just wanted to let you know that if you don't want to be my friend anymore I understand," I said, not looking at him and not wanting to hear the answer.

"Of course I still want to be your friend Rachael, I'm not judgmental and I've never gone through any of the horrible things you've gone through. I'm not going to start hating you just because everything good has been taken from you and you lost all your choices."

"It's more complicated than that Jeremy," I said.

I didn't want him to have any delusions about whom and what I am.

"Well you can tell me in the morning because I'm not going anywhere," he assured me.

"Ok," I smiled. "But while I'm confessing…Jer, I like you as a brother, you're my best friend, but when it comes to liking you romantically…"

"Whoa, Rachael, if you're trying to tell me you like me as more than a friend—" he said nervously.

"No! No, I thought _you_ liked _me_ as more than a friend," I questioned, furrowing my brows.

"Of course not! I mean it's not like I don't think your pretty or an amazing girl Rachael, it's just that you're like a sister to me and the idea of kissing my sister…" he trailed of shuddering.

"Really?" I asked, relieved.

"Really," he said gently, obviously hoping he didn't hurt my feelings.

"This is great!" I said enthusiastically, throwing my arms around him and giving him a bone crushing hug.

Jeremy laughed. "I can't believe you thought I liked you like that."

"Can you blame me, I mean look at me—aren't I adorable," I teased.

"Uh- huh," he laughed. "We'll talk more in the morning, can I go back to sleep now?"

"Don't stop on my account," I heard Jenna's voice from behind us.

I turned around to see Jenna smiling at us at the doorway, uh-oh.

"Wait a minute…this isn't the guest room!" I said, looking around and pretending to be in shock.

"Haha hee-ha, nice try," she grinned and Jer just laughed. "Rachael, go to the guest room, you two can snuggle in the morning."

"Yes ma'am," I said, embarrassed, getting up and exiting the room.

"Jeremy, your leaving the door open," she said, pointing to him and raising an eyebrow as if he'd say no.

"Ok," he said, embarrassed too.

"Alright, good night you two."

"Goodnight," I said.

"Goodnight Jenna."

This had been a very interesting day, but I didn't care to dwell on all the craziness. I've managed to find out what I am while getting back one friendship and possibly completely destroying another. The family I'm staying with might be werewolves and I'm completely uncontrollable for another month.

Yup, I'm definitely not dwelling on it, I'm going to bed.


	26. Chapter 25

**Hey guys! I hope you liked the last chapter. I know it's sad to see Tyler acting like a jerk face but I promise he had a reason, it was a stupid reason but it was a reason lol. I Hope you guys all like this chapter as we find out more about Rachael and she soon is forced to pick a side ;) **

**Rue Dawn: Thanks, she would definitely get mad if Mason died…and she would DEFINITELY get mad if she found out Jeremy was there when it happened….**

**xXxCastielxXx: Thanks, Rachael can't just forgive and forget this time ;)**

**Shippolove844: Thanks, Mason's great, that's why I wanted them to be so close **

**Damonxelenaxforever: first of all, Love the pen name lol, second of all, thanks for loving it **

I loved waking up in the Gilbert's guest room. It wasn't anywhere near where Tyler was. It was homier and much more loving, and Tyler wasn't around. My friends were close by and I felt welcomed by them, and did I mention Tyler was nowhere in sight?

I hate to admit it, but it was a lot nicer waking up in a warm and loving environment, you don't understand how much that truly means until you're without one. I opened the door to walk downstairs and make breakfast—a habit that came from making breakfast at the Lockwood house—to find that they were already up and eating cereal.

"Morning sleepyhead," Jenna said when she saw me, smiling a warm hearted smile at me.

"Good morning, I wish you guys would have waited I was just about to offer to make breakfast," I smiled back as I stretched and made my way over.

"Do you like cooking Rachael?" Jenna smiled knowingly.

"It's not a favorite hobby of mine, but I had gotten use to it at the Lockwood house," I shrugged and sat at the table.

"The Lockwood's?" Jenna and Jeremy asked at the same time with raised eyebrows.

Oops, I really need to _not_ talk in the morning when I'm most bound to say the damndest things.

"Yeah," I sighed, waiting for Jeremy's anger; he didn't care much for Tyler either—so their dislike for one another was mutual.

"Rachael, _why_ are you staying there?" Jeremy asked, sounding more curious than mad.

"I'm an orphan and they offered me a place to stay. I didn't really have a choice given the circumstances," I tried to shrug indifferently.

"That's awful Rachael," Jenna said as Jeremy put an arm over my shoulder empathetically.

"It's ok, I'm better."

I surprised myself, it was the truth, and I feel better than I have been in a long time.

The phone rang and Jenna left, leaving the three of us alone to talk. "You can always stay with us Rach," Jeremy said.

Clearly this guy didn't obey a lot of house rules; rules like inviting people to live in your house. "Thanks Jer, but I don't think I can, Damon wants me to stay at the Lockwood's, apparently I have a magical bond with werewolves," I said with slight disgust; wanting no type of bond with Tyler what so ever.

"Since when do _you_, or anyone else for a matter, listen to Damon?" Jeremy asked a bit annoyed that I would listen to that sinister bastard in the first place

"Since he's a link to my past and he has my ancestor Elizabeth's journal," I stated back to Jeremy.

"Wait, what?" he asked looking at Elena.

"It's true," Elena nodded. "He has Elizabeth's journal and knowing Damon, he won't give it to her unless he gets something from Rachael."

"But that journal is rightfully hers," Jeremy said, getting angry on my behalf.

"But Damon's the one who has it so it doesn't matter," I said, knowing he would not give it to me no matter what.

"Don't worry Rachael, we'll figure this out, Damon _will_ give you the journal" Jeremy promised.

"Out of the kindness of his heart?" I asked sarcastically.

"Damon doesn't have a heart," Elena stated, wow what kind of fight did they get into? "But he'll give to you the journal if you strike a deal with him."

"I don't have anything he wants Elena, now that he has The Moore and the journal he can't need me anymore."

"But he does, you're the key to him getting closer to the Lockwood's—"

"Not going to happen," I said before she finished her sentence,

"What, why?" Elena asked confused.

"Let's just say we had a little fight and I don't want to look at him right now." I said through clenched teeth.

"What happened?" Jeremy asked, concerned.

"He just took some things too far," I nearly whispered, thinking of the horrible thing he said.

"I'm sorry Rachael," Jeremy patted my back soothingly.

"So am I but I don't see another way, now that he knows what you are he probably knows your weaknesses too—"

"But he wouldn't do anything right? I mean come on, Damon may be a heartless bastard, but her grandmother _was _his best friend," Jeremy said hopefully.

"I guess we'll have to see," I said with clear uncertainty.

"Rachael, you two have probably fought before, I'm sure if you talk—"

"'A freaky orphan runaway', that's what he called me Elena," I stated, nearly hissing.

"What?" she asked shocked.

"That's low even for Tyler," Jeremy said, not believing it either.

"Yeah well, needless to say I'm not really in the mood to forgive him for that just yet," I muttered.

"God, Rachael, I'm sorry," Elena said sympathetically.

I shrugged, trying to ignore the wave of fresh pain I felt from what he said. "Hey, at least I know what he's really like now, no need to dwell on it."

"We can still get the journal back," Elena promised. "But for now I need to get some work done so I'm going to the grill, want to come with Rachael?"

"Sure," I said with another shrug. "Why not, just give me a few minutes to shower and get dressed."

"Ok."

"Nothing too fancy Rachael, you wouldn't want to get barbeque sauce on one of Mrs. Lockwood's fancy blouses," Jeremy teased.

"What do you mean?" I asked, smiling.

"We're having a barbeque tonight and you're officially invited," Elena smiled.

"That's great…oh crap, I forgot to get clothes back at the Lockwood's," I slapped my hand against my forehead.

"I'm sure Jenna will let you borrow some of hers," Elena said, knowing we weren't the same size; I was a bit curvier than she was.

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that."

After showering and throwing on jeans and a gray t-shirt that Jenna gave me I met Elena downstairs and we went to The Grill. I was having such a good day that there should have been an omen that something bad was coming. Low and behold, not long after we were there, who would come walking up to us but Damon—why can't I just leave people alone—Salvatore.

"What do you want?" Elena asked somewhat angrily.

So they had definitely had a bit of a disagreement recently.

"I see this is where you spend your time when you're not busy stabbing people in the back," he stated, sitting next to me as if we didn't hate each other.

"I tricked you into telling the truth, that's not stabbing you in the back, that's using your own antics against you," Elena stated getting her stuff in the implication that we should leave.

"Thanks a lot Damon," I said angrily. "Now we're going to have to leave and I'm hungry."

"It's not like you need the calories," he grinned.

I grinned mischievously. "Oh, that's a good one Damon, did you come up with that last night when you were spooning by yourself?"

"That's enough you guys," Elena said, rolling her eyes. "Come on Rachael."

I made an aggravated noise and got up to leave. "Where are you going?" Damon asked, ignoring me completely.

"I made myself clear Damon, I want nothing to do with you," she stated as we started leaving.

"That had to hurt," I grinned.

"Well, I guess I'll see you two at Jenna's barbeque," Damon said sneakily.

We turned to look at him at the same time. "How do you know about Jenna's barbeque?" Elena asked.

"It was my idea," Damon stated. "Jenna went to high school with Mason Lockwood, I figured a good social gathering would be a good way to get to know the guy, so I told Rick to tell Jenna and—"

"Does Jenna know that you're going? Because she's not exactly a fan or yours."

"Along with at least ninety percent of the Mystic Falls," I added.

A woman walked up to Damon and handed him a box. "Thank you," he said and paid for it. "I'm hoping this peach cobbler will pave the way," he stated.

"What are you up to?" I asked demandingly.

"I'm going to put some silver into Mason Lockwood and prove he's a werewolf," he said coming as close to me as possible without it being inappropriate.

"But that could kill him," I said, becoming nervous.

"Not my family, not my problem; see you at the barbeque," he said smugly and left.

I was quickly becoming nervous and shaky, I had to find a way to bargain with Damon and put Mason's safety in the deal. Mason had been nothing but caring towards me, I couldn't let Damon kill him.

"It will be fine Rachael," Elena promised me.

After going back to the house and getting ready for the barbeque it wasn't long before the other guests started to arrive. Alaric came first.

"Hey Rachael," he said awkwardly, remembering our last encounter didn't go well.

"Hey Alaric," I said cheerfully, not wanting anything to ruin the mood. "Are you up for starting over?" I asked, holding out my hand for him to shake.

"Definitely, and I'm sorry about everything that happened last time," he said sheepishly, shaking my hand.

"It's old news," I shrugged, smiling.

Soon after that Mason came and it quickly became awkward since he had spent his night with the guy I was trying to forget about. "Hey Rachael," He said cheerfully.

"Hi Mason," I said happily, giving him a hug.

"So, Rachael is your phone not working?" he asked curiously.

"It is, why, did you try calling me?" I asked checking my phone for his missed calls.

"No, but my nephew did a few times," he said with a mischievous grin.

"Ah," I said awkwardly. "Who likes tequila?" I asked, my voice going up an octave as I rushed to the fridge.

"We all know you're not old enough for tequila," Mason smiled and took the bottle away from me.

"Shot glasses for everyone," Rick said cheerfully and passed them out.

"And look Rachael, just to show there are no hard feelings I'll let you have some apple juice so it looks like your taking shots with us," Mason teased.

"Oh, haha hee ha, I forgot how to laugh," I rolled my eyes but smiled anyway.

I ended up taking 'apple juice shots' with them anyway and finally Damon showed up to ruin everyone's fun.

"Hey," He said cheerfully.

"Damon," Jenna said, not bothering to hide her discontent at his arrival.

He showed the peach cobbler as a sort of peace offering. "We were just taking shot's," Rick said to ease the tension. "Let me get you a glass buddy."

"Here," Jenna dowsed her drink. "Take mine," she said and left, making Alaric follow.

"She doesn't like me very much," Damon stated.

"Really, from the looks of it I thought you guys were bffs," I said sarcastically.

"We haven't met," Mason said before Damon could rebuttal, "Mason Lockwood."

"Oh sure, hey, Damon Salvatore," he said, shaking his hand.

"I know I've heard great things about you," he smiled.

"Where?" I asked, laughing.

"Yeah, that's weird, 'cause I'm a dick," he grinned.

I couldn't help but laugh at that a little. "Mason, could you give me and the dick some alone time for a minute?" I asked, wanting to get it over with.

"Sure," he said curiously. "I'll be in the next room if you need me."

I nodded as he left the room, eyeing Damon the entire time.

"What's up _Demon_?" he asked cheerfully.

"Damon, you were one of my ancestor's best friends, which means you must have some redeeming qualities to you, is there any way I can convince you to let this go?" I asked, quickly becoming serious.

He paused for a moment, looking in the air as if he was actually pondering the question. "Hmm…no," he said sarcastically. "But you could try if you like."

"Damon," I said, not in the mood for one of his games.

"Aren't you curious about the people you have ties to?" he asked seriously.

"Of course, this is why I plan on getting to know them the old fashioned way: by asking them questions and getting to know them. You could be making an enemy for no reason Damon; do you really need that right now?" I asked in an almost sympathetic tone.

"Nobody needs an enemy in their lives Rachael, but it's inventible, not everyone's going to like you," Damon shrugged.

"You would know that better than anyone wouldn't you?" I stated angrily and stomped off.

_What a stubborn asshole._

I pretty much ignored him after that, forgetting that I still need to bargain with him for The Moore and my great-great grandmother's journal. I have to admit, I haven't been to a barbeque in years so this really great in my opinion. You got to stuff your face with meat and nobody cared how much you ate or how drunk you got…except for me of course they were strict about me not drinking.

"Rachael, have you seen Stefan?" Elena asked me on my way to the bathroom.

"Not sense last night—I thought he was with you," I answered.

"He's not picking up his phone, I thought he might be talking to you about your background," she admitted.

I laughed. "Trust me Elena, the last thing I want to talk about right now is my background," I said, still refusing to think about the information I received last night.

She nodded and patted my shoulder gently before leaving.

After I went to the bathroom I went to the kitchen to get more chips but I hung back when I saw Mason go into the room while Damon was pouring more alcohol into the shot glasses.

"Jenna just brought a guitar hero, it might be time to mutiny," Mason said sarcastically.

"Well, I just happen to like guitar hero so you, my friend are barking up the wrong tree," he said with equal sarcasm, pouring more drinks.

"Ok," Mason said his voice becoming serious. "Enough with the side jokes, you win, you're hilarious," he said sarcastically.

"Thank you," Damon said smugly.

"Come on man, you don't think I know what this barbeque is about?"

"How do you know about me?" Damon asked somewhat menacingly. "Your brother was completely clueless."

"Doesn't matter, I'm not your enemy Damon," he stated.

"You tried to kill my brother and my deceased best friend's great-great granddaughter," he stated, implying they were enemies because of that.

Was Damon mad at Mason for nearly hurting Stefan and me?

"That was a mistake," he promised.

"Really?" Damon asked, not believing it.

"There was confusion, I couldn't chain myself up in time, and I would never hurt Rachael on purpose, she's like family to me," he said with clear sincerity.

"Oh, what, no obedience school?" he asked, still not buying it.

"I'm serious, let's not start some age old feud that doesn't apply to us," he said.

"And Rachael? The girl you think of as a niece, are you still going to think that way after her seventeenth birthday and your sister-in-law starts using her?" Damon asked sarcastically.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his face becoming a mask of confusion.

"You know what I mean, on Rachael's seventeenth birthday she'll transform and come into her full powers, after that she'll be able to sniff out evil and otherworldly beings like the world's greatest tracking dog. Do you honestly think that that woman would open her house to a stranger without wanting something in return?" he asked, sounding menacing again.

"She knew Rachael's ancestors were friends of her ancestors, I don't think she wants to use her for anything," Mason answered. "And if she does I'll stop her when the time comes, I don't want anything bad happening to her either," he promised, holding out his hand for him to shake again.

Damon paused but after awhile I think he finally realized it wasn't worth another enemy and shook his hand. I couldn't help but smile; Mason and Damon don't have to fight.

"Hey guys," I walked in after they shock hands.

"Hey Rachael, guitar hero's in the living room," Mason said cheerfully.

"I've never played," I admitted, shrugging.

"What? Did you live in a cave?" Mason asked sarcastically.

"You know they're not that bad once you get use to them," I teased, looking at their shocked expressions. "I'm kidding."

"I'll teach you how to play," he said, giving me a light smack upside the head, implying the joke wasn't very funny.

"Thanks," I said. "Just give me a second; I need to get the chips."

Mason left and I couldn't help but smile at Damon smugly. "What?" he asked.

"You like me," I said cheerfully yet smugly.

"_What_?" He scoffed.

"Honestly Damon, if you were just worried about me, you should've said so," I grinned cheekily.

"What?" He kept asking with clear confusion.

"'Tried to kill your brother and best friend's great-great granddaughter' did he?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Look, I know that you never had the chance to learn manners being a demon and all but eavesdropping—"

"You can't pull that crap on me anymore because now I know that you were worried about me—"

"Yes, because the world revolves around you, doesn't it Rachael," he asked sarcastically. "Why do the starts come out at night? Because Rachael can't handle being alone in the dark."

"Is that supposed to be funny?" I gave a mock glare as he smirked.

He started walking off. "Hey Damon," I said and he finally turned around to look at me. "Thanks," I said sincerely and smiled.

"Just remember me when you're out hunting vamps and we'll call it even," he smiled and raised his glass before leaving.

_Maybe Elizabeth had him figured out after all_.

After guitar hero (which I'm pretty good at if I do say so myself) we ended up playing charades. I lost almost every single round. I guess the fact that I never got to watch a lot of TV growing up doesn't help when you're playing charades. After peach cobbler, which I didn't get to eat a lot of since Mason ended up scooping slices of it out with his fingers; it was soon time to call it a night.

"Are you coming home tonight Rachael?" Mason asked.

"Uhm," I hesitated.

"Or you could spend another night Rach, we'd be glad to have you and maybe I'll let you make breakfast tomorrow morning," she teased.

"Please stay! Jenna can't cook!" I heard from Jeremy's room.

"Hey!" Jenna yelled.

I laughed and looked back at Mason. "Can I stay, please," I pleaded, looking between him and Damon, knowing they would both want me to go back to the Lockwood house tonight.

"One more night," Mason said and Damon shrugged.

"Thank you," I squealed and threw my arms around Mason.

"Just promise me that if Tyler calls you'll pick up," he whispered in my ear.

I hesitated but nodded, knowing I was going to have to face him sooner or later.

"Goodnight everybody," Mason said before leaving. "Great barbeque Jenna thanks for the invite."

"No problem, Goodnight Mason," Jenna said as he left

"Goodnight Mason," I said cheerfully.

Damon left soon after that and before I knew it, it was time to hit the hay. "No sneaking into Jeremy's room late at night again Rachael," Jenna said, only half teasing.

"Yes ma'am, I can only promise that it won't happen outside Jeremy's fantasies though," I said sarcastically.

"What?" I heard Jeremy from inside his room again.

"Nothing! You're dreaming, go back to sleep," I said before going into the guest room and shutting the door.

"Uh-huh," I heard him say, I could practically see the smug expression on his face.

Of course, as soon as I finally get down for bed, that's when Tyler chooses to call me again.

I let it ring for awhile before I finally had the courage to keep my promise. "What is it Tyler?" I asked rudely.

"Rachael, I'm sorry for what happened the other night, I was angry and so I yelled and acted like a dick like I always do."

"'A freaky orphaned runaway', that's what you called me," I said, my voice seeping with venom.

"I know, I know…and I'm really sorry," he said.

"Sorry can't cut it this time Tyler, you barely know me and you're calling me those things," I shook my head. "Do you say those kinds of things to everyone?"

"No, I was mad—"

"So you only say those kinds of things when you're mad at _me_?" I asked with clear bitchiness.

"No!" Tyler said in defense.

"Well what the hell are you trying to say then?" I yelled into the phone.

"I like you. Do you have a problem with that?" he yelled before hanging up.

I just left my mouth hanging open, gapping at the phone; I did not see _that_ coming.


	27. Chapter 26

**Hey guys! I know you guys are just as upset as I am that the season ended just as Tyler came back and worse, to not tell us when the next season's coming up! But the Fan fiction must go on! Hope you all enjoy this chapter. Rue Dawn: Thanks girl! I loved the long review and your right, it would be really hard for Rachael to forgive Damon if he killed Mason, now as to if Mason will actually survive…well we will just have to see lol**

**Shippolove844: I'm glad you were surprised lol that's what I was going for, believe me Rachael was surprised too. I also love Tyler and Damon so let's hope that Rachael and Damon can keep it up so there friendship doesn't end before it really has the chance to start. **

**XXxCastielxXx: Thanks, I think you'll like this chapter, especially since Damon and Rachael are finally starting to become friends, let's just hope it'll last. **

**..WoRlD: Love the pen name and thanks for all the enthusiasm, I hope you like this chapter. **

**Vdouble.e: Interesting pen name, I hope you like this chapter since you inspired me to write it sooner. **

I didn't sleep last night, at all. I didn't call Tyler back; he hung up about half a nanosecond after his confession. I didn't sleep, and I tossed and turned on the bed in a daze, it kind of goes without saying that I woke up the next morning looking like crap.

I went downstairs and plopped on a stool with bags under my eyes and my teeth unbrushed. My morning wasn't going so well.

"Rachael, what happened to you, you look awful," Jeremy said as he sat next to me, ready to start his day.

"Thanks Jeremy, you sure are good at telling a girl what she needs to hear," I said with heavy sarcasm.

"I didn't mean—"

"I know I look like crap ok, I had a really, really weird night," I said in a strained voice.

"What happened? Things were going great when you _went_ to bed last night," Jeremy stated.

"Yeah, they were. Let's just say I got an unexpected call and leave it at that," I muttered, laying my forehead down on the table.

"Is there something wrong Rachael?" Jeremy asked, worry lacing his voice.

"It depends on how you look at it to be honest," I answered dully.

Honestly, I wasn't sure what to feel, so I tried not thinking about it and blocking my feelings out—but it wasn't working.

I liked Tyler, I liked his honesty and just about everything about him so far but we don't know each other well. I know he has a mother and an uncle and that his dad died. I know he was the only one that hasn't lied to me so far and that I could count on him to be there for me when I need him most, but not much else. I'm attracted to him, there's no doubt in my mind about that, but when it comes to having real feelings for him…I don't know what I feel.

I've never dated anyone, there have been guys I've been attracted to and some I've gotten to know. I had gotten a willing participant when I thought I needed to get that awkward first kiss out of the way (I wasn't an emotional person back then) but I've never dated. I don't know what it means to have serious feelings or what it means to be in love with someone else.

It was obvious that Tyler was a lot more experienced with just about everything and I didn't know how to handle that or anything really when it came to Tyler Lockwood. All I knew was that this guy was effortlessly giving me a serious headache and he wasn't even in the same house I was.

"I don't think I'm following you Rachael," Jeremy said with a questioning look in his eyes.

"Jeremy, if I ask you something will you promise not to laugh at me?" I asked, quickly becoming embarrassed.

"Of course Rach," he said with a confused expression.

"How do you know if you like someone?" I asked.

I could tell he was trying really hard not to laugh. "You have to ask something like that?"

"Yeah, I mean it's not exactly something I've had experience with, my growing up years were basically spent running so I could hide and hiding so I could run," I answered honestly with a shrug.

"I'm sorry," Jeremy said sympathetically.

"It's no big deal but it means I have no experience with dating or getting closer to another person. I mean I know I loved my parents, but I never had to think or question it I was just a feeling I knew was there."

"I think liking someone's sort of the same thing Rachael, I mean caring about someone and liking them romantically, it's a feeling and it's up to you whether you want to find out if there's anything more to that," Jeremy answered. "I know it might be scary since you've spent your whole life avoiding people out of obligation but if you never try you'll never know and you'll spend the rest of your life wondering what it's like."

"Wow, I never thought of it that way, thanks Jeremy, you know you're really wise for a sixteen year old," I smiled.

"Thanks, I think," he laughed, clearly not sure whether or not to take it as a compliment.

"You're welcome," I grinned. "I feel a lot better."

"Good, then how about making us all breakfast, because I'm starving," I heard Jenna say from upstairs.

"Jenna!" Jeremy stated.

"I'm hungry!" she said in a whinny voice.

I laughed. "One nutritious breakfast coming up," I said enthusiastically, jumping down from the stool.

"I don't care how nutritious it is as long as it's filling," Jenna assured me.

I chuckled. "Well that takes some of the pressure off," I said sarcastically

I made hash browns, sausage and eggs and they sat there like hungry wild animals getting ready to fight for a carcass. Of course as soon as I finished cooking they swarmed in like vultures, thank god I made myself a plate before they swarmed.

Of course my nice morning got interrupted when Stefan called. "Hey Stefan, can this wait until after breakfast by chance?" I asked, listening to the sound of my stomach growl.

"It's not Stefan and no, no it can't," Damon said with little sarcasm.

"Hey Damon, how's it going," I said with an eye roll. "You know you could have used your phone Damon, I would've picked up."

"Stefan's phone was closer and this is important, even with Elizabeth coming into her full powers it took a lot of restraint to not kill Katherine when she looked at her."

"Who's Katherine?" I asked, leaving the kitchen and going into the guestroom.

"The reason Stefan and I became vampires and the reason Elizabeth had to run off never to be seen again. She's an evil, manipulative bitch and what's worse she looks exactly like Elena," Damon stated.

"Well that doesn't matter, one's good and one's evil if I'm looking at them I'll automatically know who's who," I shrugged.

"Exactly, that's the problem, Katherine's a vampire and she's back in town—"

I laughed. "Wow could you imagine if I…if I." _Oh shit_.

"Exactly, if you see her in a public place you'll lose it," Damon stated.

Now would be a good time to freak out. "What am I going to do Damon? I can't stay copped up in this house all day I have plans that I can't get out of—"

"Relax demon, we'll figure this out, but I need you to come over so we can go over Elizabeth's journal, there's some unpleasant information I think you should hear," he said in an almost worried tone of voice.

"But—"

"I'll take you to wherever you need to go afterwards," I could practically see him rolling his eyes over the phone.

I let out a breath. "All right, I'll see you in a few minutes."

"Later demon."

"When are you going to stop calling me that?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Whenever and if ever I get bored with it," I knew he was smirking.

"You know Damon, since you've been as nice as to give me a nickname, maybe I should nickname something after you," I grinned. "So do me a favor, if you call me again and I don't pick up the phone right away, let it ring will you? I might be on the Damon," I said with a flourish before hanging up on him.

"Ha ha," I laughed my way into the shower.

After showering and getting dressed I left the Gilbert's house with a promise that I would see them later. I walked over to the Salvatore Boarding house, if I would even call it a house, and knocked on the door to see Stefan open it.

"Hey Rachael," he said.

"Hi Stefan, how are you?"

"Fine, how are you?"

I just shrugged. "Ask me again in a few minutes."

He just opened the door and let me in. Damon was sitting near the fire place with what I assumed was Elizabeth's journal. He had an unfathomable expression on his face. I knocked on the wall to make my presence known and Damon's usual expression was on his face.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey, what was so important Damon?" I asked curiously.

"You might want to sit down for this," he said. _Uh oh_.

I sat down next to him and tried not to let how nervous he was making me show. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, I have good news and bad news," he stated.

"What's the good news?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The good news is that you can't be murdered by guns or any other normal form of 'death', you can only be destroyed by one elemental weakness…" he said with an expression that looked torn between smirking and sadness.

"Elemental weakness?" I asked.

"Yeah, I can't believe I didn't suspect it sooner, Elizabeth didn't like to go near water, I don't think I ever saw her drink it and why would she? Since it was her weakness."

"Are you saying I could only be killed by drowning?" I nearly scoffed, I wasn't afraid of water and I wasn't about to be.

"No, that was _Elizabeth's_ weakness, idiot. I'm guessing yours is fire since you can't go near the stuff without hyper ventilating," he stated.

"Damn, I think your right," I said, holding back a shiver.

The idea that the only thing that can kill me is the one thing that I feared most in this world was terrifying.

"I guess it could be worse," I said, trying to look on the bright side.

"Actually that was all part of the good news," Damon stated, giving me a look that said he was serious.

"Then what's the bad news?" I asked. "The reason you can't control yourself when you see evil is that the demon inside you has no way to contain itself so when you see evil that part of you lashes out as a reaction to the curse. You're constantly at war with yourself, but all that darkness has to go somewhere, that's why you'll come into your full powers at seventeen," he said.

"I'm confused," I stated.

"Well it needs somewhere to go; the transformation is a way to separate your good blood from your bad blood."

"My good blood from my bad blood?" I asked skeptically.

"Your demon's blood from the human blood, the transformation acts as a sort of containment to separate your human self from your demon self," he explained.

"So when I transform my demon side will be reveled?" I asked.

"Yup, it'll be as though you're a completely different person, on the night of your seventeenth birthday you'll become completely uncontrollable, it'll be like Dr. Jekel and Mr. Hyde," he answered honestly.

"So, so what will I look like?" I asked. "What's going to happen?"

"You'll go after anyone who's done anything seriously bad, whether they're good and evil won't matter anymore and you'll be that way until sun rise," Damon admitted. "And you'll look like this," he said, showing me a drawing from The Moore.

I gasped. The book had two images on each side of the page. The first had the girl (me I suppose) in jeans and a tank top with a shrug over it. My skin was a dark pebble gray color and my hair went past my waist, it was completely strait and it was a slight silver color. My eyes were a dark blood red and the expression on the drawing's face was almost vacant of any emotion except for it had a sort of raised eyebrow look.

The second drawing on the right had me down right terrified. Along with my former appearance my mouth was open and I had teeth like a saber tooth tiger's. I had bat wings about twice as long as my body coming out of my back and my nails were as long as the ends of a screw driver and the ends were as sharp as a saw.

"Oh my God," I said in a chilled voice.

"Yeah, kind of freaky," he said, taking the book back.

"I'm a monster," I nearly whispered.

"You're not a monster, you can control it," he said with an eye roll as if it was no big deal.

"How am I going to control it Damon, on the night of my birthday I'm going to become that thing," I said, pointing to the picture on the book. "I'm going to be completely uncontrollable, what am I going to do?" I asked in a terrified voice.

"We can chain you and lock you in the basement; you're getting all worked up over nothing"

"Over nothing!" I snapped. "In a few short weeks I'm going to transform into Jeepers Creepers! I could kill someone, I could kill you and you're telling me that it's not that big a deal?" I nearly scoffed.

"It's going to be fine, we're going to read Elizabeth's diary later and find out how she did it and it'll all work out," he said as if we were having casual conversation while walking through the park.

He saw my expression and sighed. "Breath Rachael, we have time to figure this out."

"My birthday's three weeks from today Damon," I stated.

"Oh," He said, making an oops face.

"Yeah, doesn't really give us a lot of time," I said in a way that implied that I thought he was an idiot.

"We'll be fine," he said. "Now come on, we need to get to volunteer day," he stated, heading towards the door.

"How did you know I was going there?" I asked.

"You like playing Mother Teresa, of course you'd go there," he said in a teasing voice.

"Oh harty har, har how did you get so funny?" I asked with thick sarcasm.

"It's a gift I can't control."

"Well you got the control part right," I said as I shut the door behind me.

We went to the park for volunteer day and it was going great, until Stefan and Elena started fighting.

"Ok Stefan, whatever," Elena stated.

Of course they caught us looking and we had to make it look like we were doing something. I ended up having a clean paint brush against the wall; I was not good under pressure. "You're such a damn idiot," Damon said with an eye roll.

I made a face and gave up before finding Elena. "Elena," I called out before catching up to her. "What's wrong, I never thought I'd see the day that you and Stefan fought," I asked with a concerned tone.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said, not looking me in the eye.

This girl's lying to me isn't she? "Does this have anything to do with that Katherine girl coming back?" I asked.

She turned and gave me a quiet shush before nodding. Yup, she was lying. I'm guessing they had to do this to get that Katherine bitch off their trail. I quickly changed the subject. "Would it help if I told you about my messed up loved life?" I asked.

Her ears perked up like a puppies. "Yeah," Elena was such a girl sometimes.

"Don't tell anyone, but Tyler told me that he liked me over the phone last night," I said.

"What?" she asked with a grin and a shocked expression.

"Yeah, I don't even know how to react to something like that."

"Well do you like him?" she asked with a smile.

"Yeah but…I don't know, I've never even had a first date and I'm basically a relationship virgin—"

This made Elena laugh. "I can see why you're worried, but if Tyler really likes you—"

"Yeah, _if_ Tyler really likes me," I said, letting out all my worries. "I don't want a relationship right now, I'm finally in a good place, this can be my home, we have a lot to deal with right now, and I don't need a relationship especially if I'm just setting myself up for a failure."

"You don't know what will happen, you're looking at this the wrong way, and this could be a good thing," she said.

"How do you know for sure?" I asked skeptically

"I don't, but if you never try it you'll never know, and then you'll spend the rest of your life wondering what might have happened," she said with a slight shrug.

"You sound like Jeremy," I rolled my eyes.

"Well it's true, talk to him Rachael," she said in an almost demanding voice.

I sighed. "Ok, I will…later," I knew I was going to have to sooner or later anyway. "I better go check on Damon and Stefan, later."

"Later."

_**Mason's POV**_

I was pissed. I offered that asshole a truce and he rejected it, now it's my turn.

"Liz," I said coming towards her.

"Hello Mason, how's Rachael?"

"She's doing fine; she's here by the way."

"That's great I can go say hi—"

"Damon's a vampire," I whispered.

"What?"

"And so is his brother."

The look on Liz's face told me she didn't believe me. As I looked back at Damon walking and talking to Stefan I could see Rachael coming up behind them laughing and Damon putting his arm around her shoulder. I don't know what's happened between them since the barbeque, but it was like a world gone mad. Rachael was hanging out with vampires like it was nothing and fighting with her friend, my nephew, Tyler.

This was another reason I needed to tell Liz, more than revenge, Tyler's been more reluctant to give me the Moonstone since they started fighting. I needed that Moonstone for Katherine. Also, the idea of someone like Rachael being friends with someone like Damon Salvatore made me sick.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Damon's my friend and he's been a huge help to the council," Liz stated.

I could tell she wasn't taking this as seriously as she should be. She obviously had a lot on her mind and she was too busy looking at Caroline smiling and waving to Rachael.

"Of course he's been a huge help, who's going to catch and kill vampire's better than a vampire?" I scoffed.

"There's no way they're vampires," Liz said in denial. "They can walk around in the sun light."

"Your ancestor's journals aren't as accurate as they were Liz," not by a long shot. "They've evolved since then," I nearly hissed.

"Even if your right, I still would have known Damon was a vampire by now, he's my friend," she told me, shaking her head. "Besides, I've been doing some research and I think Rachael might be related to Elizabeth Moore, her ancestor was a master vampire hunter so surely Rachael would have come to someone if she suspected Damon of something," she said proudly, probably thinking she was helping Rachael out.

Oh crap. Things just got sticky, I knew Rachael was related to Elizabeth, I've always known. Unfortunately, I really have started thinking of Rachael as a niece. I knew that things wouldn't be good for her if the council found out what she was and started breathing down her neck. She might run off again and Tyler might not ever forgive me, I knew that Rachael meant more to him then other girls have.

"I doubt that," I said. "A descendent of the founding families being an orphan seems a little hard to believe don't you think? And if you're not going to believe that Damon's not a vampire without proof," I said while looking at Damon talking to Rachael. "Why don't I just prove it to you."

I just got a brilliant idea.

_**Rachael's POV**_

"Honestly Damon, I don't know how you could possibly be so good with woman, you would think that after getting to know you for more than ten seconds they'd run," I teased, having fun.

"That's my secret weapon," Damon said with a mischievous smile. "When you look as good as I do they don't have to know you for more than ten seconds," he said with a wink.

"God bless them, everyone," I said sarcastically, thinking of all the women dumb enough to sleep with him.

Stefan chuckled. "It's nice to see you hanging out with us Rachael," he said with clear sincerity. "Elizabeth was like a sister to us and it's almost like we have her back."

"Well you guys are fun to be with when you're not making my life hell," I said, looking at Damon.

"But you loved every bit of it didn't you?" Damon said with an amused look.

"As much as a teenage girl loves a zit," I assured him with thick sarcasm.

"Lemonade?" a cute little girl suddenly came up to him and asked.

"Thank you," he said, taking the glass and smiling. "Here's to making your life hell," he grinned, raising his glass.

I shook my head in disbelief as he took a sip.

Unfortunately, he was soon spitting it out as if he was choking. Stefan and I were hovering over him in a second. "Damon, what's wrong?" I asked nervously.

"Vervain," he gasped.

I made a confused look at Stefan and he explained. "Vervain weakens vampires, it's like a poison," he explained in a worried tone.

I couldn't believe this, who knew that Damon and Stefan were vampires? Who would kill them for it? All I could do was get Damon a Vervain free glass of water as soon as the worst of the Vervain was out of his system. He gurgled the taste out of his mouth and spit it out angrily, he was clearly pissed.

"He's dead," he hissed, preparing to stomp off.

"Wait, who's dead, who did this?" I asked frantically.

"Mason," he said, trying to push pass us.

"Wait, why would Mason do that, you guys made a truce at the barbeque," I said, still trying to process what was happening.

"Damon broke it soon after," Stefan explained, pushing him back. "Mason obviously isn't interested in a truce since I tried to fix this earlier today."

I turned to watch Mason go up the hill with trash bags. "Let me talk to him," I demanded.

"Time for talk is over," he hissed as Stefan pushed him onto the bench.

"If you just confront him, you could be doing a lot more bad, then good," I tried reasoning with him. "Let me talk to him and if that doesn't work we can go from there," I assured him.

After Stefan held him down long enough for him to let out some steam he finally agreed. "One chance," he let out, waving his finger in front of me. "And if you can't get him out of my way, I'll get him out of my way," he promised threateningly.

I nodded and ran after Mason. He was putting trash into the trash cans and I was stomping over to him, fuming. "What the hell is the matter with you Mason?" I asked angrily.

"Rachael—"

"You hurt my friend after making a truce, why would you do that Mason?" I asked, holding back angry tears.

"Your _friend _tried to kill me," Mason justified. "And he's not the kind of person you should be hanging out with anyway."

"My friends are none of your business," I stated. "Why can't you guys try to get along? If you don't want to do it for me, do it for your own sake Mason because Damon's not going to take another assassination attempt," I warned.

"I'm sorry Rachael, I can't do that," he said, shaking his head.

"Well I'm not going to be a part of this," I said angrily.

"You were supposed to be a better judge of character then that Rachael," he said in a tone that made me freeze where I stood.

"Don't you dare use that against me," I hissed, too pissed to fake ignorance. "I am not going to be a part of your game, I like you Mason and I like Damon so keep me out of it," I demanded.

I planned on walking off angrily, but I turned around to find Sheriff Forbes with a gun pointed at me. "Sheriff Forbes," I choked out, rising my hands in the air.

"I'm sorry Rachael, I need to get to Damon and Stefan," Liz said in a nervous tone, the gun in her hand nearly shook.

"I'm not helping you hurt my friends," I shook my head. "I'm not helping you hurt anybody."

"I need your help Rachael," Mason said and I was forced to turn to look at him. "And you _will_ help me."

I turned to scream for help, but Mason's hand, covered my mouth. I was being pulled further into the woods and I knew that there was no way I would be able to warn Damon and Stefan in time. We were in big trouble now.


	28. Chapter 27

**Well, this is definitely not how anyone expected the relationship between Mason and Rachael to possibly end. The guy turned out to be a backstabber, go figure lol. Let's see what happens next shall we? **

**Shippolove844: I know, believe it or not I was thinking the same thing when I wrote it. I'm glad you liked the chapter though and who knows, the way things are going Rachael might not even mind if he kills Mason lol.**

**xXxCastielxXx: I'm glad that you think it's interesting; it's good to know it was a creative idea. I must admit I'm kind of peeved too, Mason was supposed to be the good one lol. But that means that the relationship between Damon and Rachael might stay intact ;) **

**Jensi: Thanks! That review meant a lot coming from another great writer. It's great to know that my main character interests you.**

**Rue Dawn: Great review. I would like Tyler to come to the rescue but since he wasn't exactly in the area at the time….then again, it's my story so who cares lol you never know what might happen. **

I was stuck in a cold musty cave, had just been betrayed by a person I had trusted, and the worst part was I needed to pee but I was being watched by three guards. Needless to say, I was feeling really cynical right now, amongst other things. There was no way I was going to be able to save Damon and Stefan in time. I was duck tapped in places I didn't think were even necessary, and that included my mouth. I couldn't move, I couldn't yell for help, and I couldn't think of a way out of this without serious risk to my life.

Of course if I had known that Damon and Stefan were going to be dragged back into the cave looking like they had died twice I would've disregarded the risk factor. I shrieked through the duck tape, nothing but muffled sounds of my cries for help came out though.

One of the guys gave me a confused look before ripping the duck tape of my face. "What?"

"I said" nearly shrieking, holding back the vulgar language I wanted to use to describe him at the moment. "What did you do to them?"

"Relax, Rachael," Sheriff Forbes said. "It's just a vervain dart; it'll paralyze them until we can get the answers we need."

"And what are you going to do _if_ you get the information out of them?" I asked, trying not to let my nervousness and uneasiness show through my façade.

She didn't answer me, but her silence was enough. I was going to have to get us out of here fast.

"Getting them out into the open was easy you know," one of the officers mocked me. "They went looking for you soon after we tied you up. Personally, I don't see what's so special," he observed me and scoffed, giving me a smug look.

"Do the world a favor: go home and take a bottle of sleeping pills, and then tell us if you wake up in the morning," I demanded with thick sarcasm, clearly allowing my bitch to come from under the surface.

"Quiet! They're waking up," Liz demanded in a harsh whisper to the room.

Damon stirred and shifted, waking up with a small groan, clearly indicating he was in pain.

"Damon!" I yelled, sitting up, nervous for his well being. "Damon, are you ok?"

"Rachael?" he asked in a confused tone, blinking a few times to knock away the grogginess he felt.

"I'm so sorry you're here Damon…you were right about Mason-he-he tricked me," I admitted, looking down and feeling ashamed that I didn't believe Damon in the first place.

Damon didn't have the chance to reply, Liz shot him in the leg and he was soon screaming in pain.

"This is how it's gonna work: answer me, and you don't get shot," she stated holding the gun in his direction. "How many of you are there?" she asked in faint curiosity.

"Liz, please," Damon said in a weak voice

She got shot him in the leg again and he let out another howl of pain.

"Stop it! You're hurting him!" I demanded lifting up and edging my way near her.

They ignored me.

"How did you fool us?" Liz demanded. "Why can you walk in the sun light?"

"Why is it any of your business?" I hissed at her.

The guard that mocked me earlier pulled me back by the hair. "Maybe we should just ask _you_, since you three seem to be so close," he spat at me, pulling me against him by the hair.

"Let her go," Damon said as forcefully as he could. "She's just a dumb kid who doesn't really know anything."

Liz paused before saying. "Let go of her hair Paul, she's just clueless…and confused."

A menacing and completely inhuman growl filled the void after Liz spoke—what the hell was that? It took me a minute to realize said menacing and inhuman growl actually came from…me. Perhaps my demonic half didn't appreciate being called a clueless and stupid child.

"Let. My. Friends. Go." I demanded in a voice I hardly even recognized.

"What the—?" Liz had paused mid-sentence, clearly unnerved by the growl I had emitted and the change in the tone of my voice.

I didn't know what was happening to me. There wasn't any evil nearby, but I could feel myself tightening against the duck tape. I was feeling…some sort of thick and burning substance make its way up my throat. My gums were beginning to throb in ways I had never even know they could. And that's when I could feel the sharp points of something similar to fangs replace where my incisors, canines, and molars should be.

She shot Stefan in the chest, and he wasn't even conscious. "I will drag this out painfully," she warned.

"But you're my friend," Damon protested in an almost sorrowful tone.

Liz's frown got deeper. "Our friendship? It was a lie."

I suppressed a snarl, trying to keep myself under control, nothing like this had _ever_ happened to me before. It's like I was forgetting who I was.

"Answer me and fast," she demanded in an almost weak tone of voice.

"Let them go," I demanded, my voice still chilling, even to myself.

"Be quiet Rachael, your friends aren't cooperating and they're clearly not going to tell us anything—kill them both," she demanded to the guard.

I hissed furiously, still at war with myself. _Just let go, _a darker side of me whispered.

_No! I'm not going to hurt innocent people._

_Those "innocent people" are about to kill people that care about you and your ancestor Elizabeth's best friends._

_You don't care about that! You just want me to lose control. _

_Well…yeah, but wouldn't it be worth it? _

"Kill them," Liz demanded. "Stake them and then burn the pieces."

I hissed, the demonic part of me was taking over and I was tearing through the duck tape. I could feel my eyes start burning; it was if they were on fire and I was starting to see red. The demonic voice was right; I can't let them do this.

Suddenly, a squeaky sound of the gate opening made everybody momentarily freeze.

"Go check it," Liz demanded quietly, nodding her head in the direction of the door.

They spread out to look for the sound of the voice. I was still concentrating on ripping through the duck tape when Elena suddenly pushed through the gates and past the guard to stare at Liz with a scared, almost hateful glare.

"Elena, what are you doing?" Liz asked demandingly, shocked.

"You can't kill them, I'm not going to let you," Elena stated.

_I'm not going to let them hurt any of you, _I thought.

I ripped through the tape quickly as more noise and chaos started up.

"Who's with you?" Liz demanded.

"Who said she needs anyone else?" I asked in a voice that once again sounded nothing like my own.

"Rachael?" Elena said in a terrified voice.

I had no real sense of who I was anymore.

_**Elena's POV**_

Looking at Rachael…I wasn't really sure if that's who I was looking at anymore. The eyes staring back at me were blood red and menacing, and her teeth looked almost unrealistically sharp. Her face was almost disoriented and it terrified me.

This person couldn't be my brother's best friend; Rachael was sweet and innocent. She couldn't hurt a fly. This…thing looked like it was born to kill. I think I finally understood what having demon's blood meant. It had completely taken over Rachael's entire being and turned her into something I don't think even _she_ recognized.

"What are you?" Liz let out, half terrified, half disgusted.

It didn't answer; instead it threw itself at the nearest guard and bit down between his neck and shoulder blades, causing him to scream in agony.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any crazier, Caroline ran in and started killing the rest of the guards one by one. I really should have been used to vampires and God knows what else. The two of them were killing humans like they were swatting flies, but I still just stood there in shock.

Caroline came out of the shadows with a scared, _almost_ innocent look on her face. It was covered in blood and she had a sad expression on her face. "Hi mom."

Liz looked at her, shocked and terrified, but she still couldn't take her eyes off of Rachael for more than a few seconds. Rachael still had her teeth sunk into the guard. I knew it wasn't drinking his blood—it wasn't a vampire, but it was doing something that made the guard scream in pain over and over again. It didn't let go until he had passed out; from the pain or blood loss I wasn't sure, but he was probably dead.

And then it set its sights on Liz, it looked pissed too, and its red eyes were practically glowing at this point. It took a stepped forward but I grabbed it by the shoulders and held it back.

"Come on Rachael—I know you're in there. That's _Liz_, Sheriff Forbes! She's not a bad person, remember?" I shock it and looked into its eyes, trying to see if the real Rachael was somewhere in there.

It made a low growl, its face was bloody and it's like I was looking at a vicious animal. I tried not to lose my cool. If I treat it like a monster the real Rachael might not ever be seen again.

"Come on Rachael, its ok now" I assured it—trying to reach _her_. "Remember who _you_ are," I demanded and shock it a little.

It took a few seconds but its eyes finally started blinking through the disorientation and finally Rachel's eyes started changing back from a blood red to a dark blue.

"Elena?" she asked in a confused voice I had recognized.

I knew she was back. "Rachael, thank God," I said quite relieved as I pulled her in for an embrace.

"What happened?" she asked in a clearly confused voice.

"You don't remember?" I asked, equally confused. "The demon in you had surfaced…and took control. I think it killed one of the guards…"

"The demon?" she asked nervously, looking around. "I _killed_ someone?"

"It wasn't _you_. You didn't kill anybody…the demon is _not_ who you are Rachel," I gave her a sympathetic look, if she's like this now, how is she going to act on the night of her seventeenth birthday?

_**Rachael's POV**_

I was slightly dizzy and everything that happened a few seconds ago was fuzzy. The inside of my mouth was sore and I had a rusty, salt taste in my mouth.

"I killed someone?" I asked again in nervous disbelief as we drove Liz to Damon and Stefan's house.

"Wish I hadn't passed out, that would've been a sight to see," Damon stated.

"This isn't funny Damon," I said, quickly becoming a nervous wreck as the shock wore off. "If it was that easy for the demon in me to take control and kill a person, then imagine what's going to happen on my seventeenth birthday!"

"Calm down Demon…the guy still had a pulse when we left—and he smelt alive," Damon said looking back at me. "Chillax, you need to loosen up anyway.

I growled at him—more humanly—and glared daggers at the back of his head. He simply looked back at me with a wink and a smile before turning to face the front again. He was a real jackass when he wanted to be.

"_What are you_?" Liz asked again, clearly scared and frustrated.

"An Eruoica," I stated. "But I don't know why you would want to know anyway, since we're just going to get rid of your memories."

"Rachael calm down," Caroline demanded gently. "I'm sure someone will find the guy and get him to a hospital."

"You do realize that if he is still alive he's going to tell someone about us?" I stated matter-of factly.

"I'm going to make a pit stop on my way back in to the city," Damon said assuring me _and _Liz that this guy wasn't going to tell anybody anything.

"How could this happen?" I asked, more to myself than anyone else.

"What I'm wondering is how you managed to hurt that guy so badly in the first place," Elena asked, confused. "It's not like you were draining him of blood or anything…"

"All I remember is making him feel all the bad things he's done," I answered honestly. "I knew every little bit of pain he ever caused another person and I made him feel all of it at the same time, over and over again."

"That might have something to do with your venom," Damon said, looking slightly awkward. "Eruoica's are able to make other people feel the pain they've caused other's because they're venomous. Something in their venom does it."

"And you couldn't have told me this information a few hours ago!" I hissed, smacking the back of his chair.

"I didn't think it was something you would actually have to deal with until your birthday, I didn't think it would come up this soon," Damon said nonchalantly without a real care in the world.

"Is there anything else you want to tell me?" I yelled. "Please Sergeant First Class Douchebag Salvatore are there _any_ other secrets about _my_ life and familythat I should know about?"

He furrowed his brows and gave me a onceover before actually answering. "It was a mistake ok, I didn't think you'd be going into demon mode so soon, so sue me," he stated once again acting as if we were discussing the weather.

I growled, apparently demon mode hadn't completely worn off, because I was ready to go up to the front seat and rip this guy's head off.

"Calm down Rachael," Caroline demanded. "It's more Mason's fault then your own; the guy's a conniving asshole. If anything _he's_ the one you should be furious with in the first place."

"Yeah I know…that's the worst part" I admitted, sinking down in the backseat as I realized how stupid I was to trust someone everyone kept telling me was bad news. "I thought of Mason like an older brother figure, I thought he really cared about me and my wellbeing, but no. He concocted this whole mess and the next thing I know I was at the bottom of a cave with a bunch of crazy vampire haters."

"Funny how life works out sometimes," Caroline said with a head jerk.

As we got out of the car I felt my phone vibrate, Tyler. Even if I hadn't just been the captive of a gang of vampire misanthropists I still wouldn't be ready to talk to him right now. I ignored the call and helped "escort" Sheriff Forbes down to the basement where we would keep her there until we could got the vervain out of her system.

"This is such a mess," I stated, shaking my head in disbelief.

"Could be worse," Damon shrugged, the corner of his lip lifting like he was talking about losing a baseball game bet.

"How?" I asked, scoffing.

"Imagine dealing with _all_ that and having _my_ personality," he smirked before going to interrogate Liz.

I couldn't help but smile at that a little. I couldn't help but think that Damon was trying to cheer me up.

I didn't like watching Damon interrogate Liz. Not because I minded anything Damon did, but because of Liz and her attitude. She was cynical, spiteful and completely judgmental. Caroline was still her daughter, but she denied it and didn't want to face the music.

I could understand that if I were raised to believe vampires were soulless creatures. I would probably react the same way. But if my _daughter_ was a vampire—my own flesh and blood, I would at least hope that she was still somewhere in there deep down. Liz was just being an in-denial bitch.

"People like you make my eye twitch," I stated as I left the room. "I might be a little judgmental but I'm a bitch like that, what can I say?"

Elena chuckled. "Rachael, I don't think I've seen you more on edge, is something wrong?"

"No…yes," I huffed and walked back upstairs.

I could tell Elena was going to follow me, but she clearly got side tracked. I didn't want to go back to see what it was. My nerves were completely frazzled and I just wanted to collapse and sleep for at least a few days. But then my phone rang again and I automatically assumed I knew who it was and picked it up.

"Tyler I…"

"It's Jeremy," the other line stated before I had gotten to finish.

"Oh Jer," I said with clear relief. "How's it going?"

"Not great," Jeremy admitted. "Tyler…he almost killed a girl."

I felt like blowing up. No really, I almost felt the steam coming out of my ears. "What was he doing with a girl?" I spat.

"Trying to hook me up," I could nearly see the grin on his face. "Also, he now knows that _I_ know _he's_ a wolf."

"How'd he react, does he know about anyone else?" I asked nervously, really meaning does he know about me and my issues,

"He freaked at first, but he knows I won't tell anyone. And no, he doesn't know about anyone else. I'm not an idiot you know," he stated, insulted.

"Really?" I grinned. "And, uh, how exactly did Tyler find out you knew about him?"

"Rachael, I can't hear you, you're breaking up," Jeremy stated awkwardly. "I just wanted to ask you if you could come over."

I was ready to laugh until he asked me that "Why?"

"I know Tyler isn't exactly on your to-do list right now, but I think he really needs you. That incident really shook him up and if he doesn't have someone to talk to, he's more likely to give up the moonstone."

"Moonstone?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah, the moonstone that will get Elena killed if Mason has it since she's the doppelganger," Jeremy said, his voice trailing off. "Didn't someone tell you?"

"No one in this stupid group tells me anything!" I threw my open hand in the air, exasperated.

"Hey!"

"Except you of course Jer," I said sweetly.

"Better," Jeremy stated. "And I'm sure they just didn't want you to worry. Now will you please come over here? I think Tyler's really upset."

I sighed, what choice did I have? After all, Tyler had been there when I needed him most and I knew I was going to have to face him sooner or later, might as well be sooner. "I'll be there in a few minutes," I sighed.

"Thanks."

I hung up and told Caroline I had to go back to the Lockwood's and asked her to tell Damon or Elena to call me later. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a ride. I had to walk to the Lockwood's, which I would've been use to if I hadn't been lazy the few weeks I've been here and have been driving around lately.

Turns out, it was a good thing that I was walking because if I knew who was calling me on my way to the house I probably would have driven off the road anyway.

"Hello?" I asked, looking at the unknown number in confusion.

"Hello Rachael."

"Elena, are you ok, did something happen?"

"I'm fine," the voice on the other end of the phone was confusing me. It was Elena's voice…but it had an edge to it—a sinister edge. "I must say Rachael, you're the spitting image of your great-great grandmother when she was your age, and if you were blonde I'd swear you were her. Then again she did have more confidence with her abilities then you do."

Realization suddenly hit and made my blood run cold. "Katherine," I said in near whisper.

"Dingdingdingdingding," she said in a teasing voice.

"You have a lot of nerve," I spat out. "What makes you think that I would talk to you after all the harm you've caused?"

"Oh, you _are_ Elizabeth," she laughed. "Relax Rachael, I don't mean to make an enemy out of you, I just want to ask for a favor."

"A favor?" I scoffed. "What makes you think I would do anything for you?" I hissed, insulted.

"This is for your benefit as much as mine Rachael," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "After all, you don't want to see any of your friends get hurt…right?"

That spiked my interest despite my intention "I'm listening."

I could practically see her grinning maniacally over the phone. "Tell Tyler to give Mason the moonstone, everyone will be much safer after that and I'll take care of the rest."

I laughed, what kind of idiot did she take me for? "And Elena? How safe will she be if you get the moonstone?" I asked.

"So one person doesn't make it. It beats everyone you've come to love dying," Katherine said as if it was nothing.

"Or how about I don't let Tyler give Mason the moonstone and I make sure no one dies," I said in a mocking tone.

I could practically see her shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "Just _like_ Elizabeth, you think that you're invincible because you're an Eruoica? What you don't now is that your endless love and loyalty is nothing more than a weakness and it will lead to nothing but your destruction. Just like it lead to your Elizabeth's"

"Shut up!" I demanded. "If Elizabeth had a weakness it was letting _you_ live at all!"

"Exactly," Katherine stated. "But she never even challenged me; because she loved Damon and Stefan way too much to even try."

"I don't have that problem," I hissed. "The only thing _I'm _going to get for killing you is a thumbs up because they don't give a rat's ass about you anymore."

"Ouch," Katherine stated, clearly not offended. "I wouldn't say that and even if you are right it wouldn't matter. You're not in control and you won't be until after your seventeenth birthday. You're like a baby; living completely off of instinct. So what makes you think you'll be any match for me?"

I hated to admit this, even to myself, but she was probably right. She's been around a lot longer then I've been and she knew Elizabeth. This meant she probably knew what to expect of me. I couldn't let her know that.

"Because I'm not Elizabeth, because I have two other allies that know your moves, and because I have something that you'll never have."

"And what is that?" I could practically see her smirk.

_Yeah Rachael, what is that? _

I thought nervously before thinking of something on the fly. "People who won't just fight _with_ me, but fight _for_ me and even if you do have someone, it doesn't mean anything unless that person really loves you," I mocked. "So you better watch out because when it's two against one you won't be laughing anymore, because if there's one difference between me and Elizabeth it's that I won't stop until your dead." I stated before hanging up on her.

Not bad for my first hate call. I was a little proud of myself, but now I had to call Damon.

"Damon? Katherine called me," I said as soon as he picked up.

"What? What did she want?" he asked urgently, shocked.

"She wanted the moonstone, what else?"

"Come back, come back right now," he demanded.

"I can't, I'm almost at the Lockwood's, and I have to make sure Tyler hasn't given the moonstone to Mason," I stated.

"Mason's in league with Katherine, you're not safe in that house," Damon stated. "So you need to make sure Tyler doesn't give Mason the moonstone, get it if you can and then leave."

"Oh Damon, you _do_ care," I said, clearly touched.

"Actually, I have a better chance of keeping Elena safe if you're not dead, but if thinking that is going to get you back to the house then ok," he said mockingly.

"You're such an ass," I rolled my eyes.

"Seriously though, make sure Mason isn't in the house before you go in," he said even more demandingly.

"I will, I'll be fine, I promise."

"Last time you assured me of that, you ended up duck tapped in a cellar and I got shot," he stated.

"Mason didn't do that, he likes me too much to hurt me and if it bugs you so much you can come pick me up, I'm getting weaker from laziness," I teased to lighten the mood.

"Fine, I'll be there in a few minutes," he said.

"Fine, talk to you soon," I said before hanging up.

When I came in the house was actually pretty quiet. "Tyler?"

"Rachael?" Tyler asked, showing up at the top of the stairs.

"Are you ok?" I asked, my voice dripping with concern.

"Yeah I'm fine," he assured me before coming up to hug me. "Rachael, about what I said over the phone…"

"I understand, we were both messed up and we said things we didn't mean, the whole thing was a mistake," I said, hoping to avoid an awkward situation. "Let's just forget those last few days like it never happened."

"That's the thing Rachael; I _don't_ want to forget the last few days." _Uh oh_. "I wanted to ask you to go on a date with me," he asked almost bashfully.

Oh God, now I was going to have to be honest with him, this is going to suck. "Tyler, I'm a complete dating virgin, the most I've ever done was kiss someone, and I don't think you want to date someone like that," I admitted, turning beet red.

"So you're uneducated?" why was he smiling?

"Yeah," I said becoming nervous.

"So you need a teacher with certain…aspects of a relationship?" he asked, getting closer.

Uh oh, I think all the blood I had just left my face. "Uh...uh huh," I nodded, being backed up into a corner without knowing it.

"Well you're going to have to learn sooner or later," he said seductively, bringing his face all the closer.

"Uhm…" I had such a better vocabulary then this.

"So why not learn from me?" he asked with a wolfish grin—_**no pun intended**_. "One date and then I promise that if you don't want another one after that you won't have to go out with me ever again," he promised.

I couldn't speak after that because before I could even begin to think of a reply, his lips were on mine and all the blood I had left my brain.

It was like I was on fire, his mouth was scorching and it felt like I was burning, but I wasn't mad at him. I liked the burn, _a lot_. Even though I hated fire, and even though it was my weakness, hell he was sure proving that now. He was making me weaker by the second. Before I could think about what I was doing I was pulling him closer to me and running my fingers through his hair. He groaned and his kisses were quickly becoming more passionate and less gentle…I still wasn't mad.

It's like I had unleashed the animal inside him and it made me feel powerful, He was trailing his lips down my neck like a trail of fire and I couldn't stop the whimpers from leaving my mouth. I wanted him to feel weak too so I let my instinct take over and pulled him back for a deeper kiss.

Soon enough though, I was beginning to feel dizzy and I needed to come back for air.

"You are _way_ too good at that," I admitted, panting as if I had just run a marathon.

He grinned—cheeky asshole. "You're pretty good for a relationship virgin," he teased. "So will you go on that date with me?" he asked almost innocently.

I just nodded, still trying to catch my breath.

He grinned and gave me a gentle kiss before I heard a loud honking sound outside, Damon, damn, at the worst possible time!

"Uh, Tyler I have to go but I came because I wanted to ask you something," I admitted.

"What?" he asked curiously.

I couldn't ask him now, if I did he'd think I said yes to find out where it is. "Are you sure you're ok? You haven't been acting normally," I asked a different question.

"I'm great now," he said enthusiastically.

"That's good, I won't be gone too long. I'm sure Mrs. Lockwood is starting to wonder why I'm not coming back," I said sheepishly.

"We've all been wondering that," he stated. "But as long as you agree to dinner at eight tomorrow I'll forgive you."

"I can't do dinner at eight," I stated.

"Why?" he asked with disappointment.

"Cuz' six is sooner," I grinned.

He busted out laughing. "Six it is," he said.

"Ok then," I smiled. "I have to go but I'll see you later."

"See you later," Tyler said smiling and I left for Damon's car.

"Hi Damon," I asked with a grin the size of Texas on my face.

"Please tell me you didn't have sex when you were supposed to be getting the moonstone," Damon asked in an almost annoyed voice.

"No!" I said, embarrassed.

"Sure."

"I didn't," I said, almost insulted.

"Did he tell you if he gave Mason the moonstone?" he asked.

"No," I answered honestly.

"Do you think there's a chance that he might?" Damon asked, clearly annoyed.

"He might…since we have a date tomorrow," I said awkwardly.

Damon laughed at that. "Good luck telling Jeremy that," he grinned.

Oh shit, I think I have a problem.


	29. Chapter 28

**Hello everyone, I know the call and kiss must have surprised everyone…I'm so proud of myself for that lol. Let's see how Jeremy reacts shall we? **

**Shippolove844: I know, I love Damon so part of me was hurt to see him shot…another part of me thought he kind of deserved it lol. This chapter might be a little bit of an angry shock though…**

**Jensi: Thanks, and know that if you ever need help with anything I'm more than happy to help =)**

**Rue Dawn: Is it just me or did my character get a naughty implication from that review? Lol, it was a great review though, thanks.**

** xXxCastielxXx: Thanks, I'm glad you like my character that much. I think that the way Jeremy's going to react may surprise you ;)**

**Sobreyra274: Ahh thanks; I'm glad you love my story.**

The drive back to Damon's house sort of had me in a numb haze. I didn't want to think about how Jeremy would react—I knew he would never approve of Tyler. Jeremy was like my brother, and I knew he thought of me as a sister, so he wanted what was best for me—and in his mind Tyler Lockwood is not what was best for me.

Of course Damon being the asshole he is thought this situation was hilarious.

"I hope I'm there to see the look on his face," he snickered with that damn smirk on his face that seemed to be permanently on there.

"Shut up Damon," I spat at him, not even bothering to look at him.

"Well, you really should've thought of his reaction _before _you agreed to go on a date with the werewolf," Damon stated, clearly amused as he smiled wider and cocked his head to the side, mocking me.

"Tyler's _not_ a werewolf…yet," I stated.

"You better hope he never becomes one," he said, half amused, half hoping himself too.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" I asked, getting the feeling I didn't want to hear the answer

He sighed, "I read some of Elizabeth's journal—"

"Without me!" this guy was really starting to piss me off.

"I had to!" He yelled defending himself.

"I thought Elizabeth's journal might be able to help us—"

"You mean help _you_," I hissed. "Ya know Damon? Every time I start believing that you _might_ be a good person the way Elizabeth _thought_ you were, you do something to prove me wrong."

"I've changed a lot since then," he shrugged not giving a care in the world.

"Now are you done with your incessant whining?"

I just turned away from him. He might have found The Moore and Elizabeth's journal, but those were technically _and_ legally my property—he had no right.

"What I found out from Elizabeth's journal was that she never showed interest in any of the men in town. She was in love with Lockwood's cousin, Joshua Lockwood," he said, aggravation seeping into his voice.

"Are you saying that Tyler and I might be related?" I said in a terrified and self-disgusted voice.

"No," he stated, furrowing his brows and looking at me revolted.

"But it gets worse than that. The reason Elizabeth never married or had kids with Joshua was because Elizabeth left Joshua, and he never saw her again."

"Why?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Your kind has a magical bond with werewolves because the same witch that cursed you was married to the same shaman that cursed werewolves but the witch knew that would happen. She didn't want to risk the werewolves having relations with an Eruoica because they didn't know how powerful their children could become."

"So her fear of "mutant" children caused her to…" I really didn't think I wanted to know the answer.

He sighed. "She convinced her husband to put another curse on the werewolves so they could never be with Eruoicas."

"What is it with witches and their freakin' curses?" I asked in a clearly pissed off voice.

"Tell me about it," Damon stated, aggravated.

"What's the other curse?" I knew I wasn't going to like what he said next because he had a look of actual seriousness on his face.

"If Tyler ever falls in love with you and admits it, even if it's just to himself, he's dead. Period," Damon stated neutrally.

"What?" I choked."Sorry kid," he said.

This was bad, Damon almost sounded sympathetic—so this was really bad.

"Is there no way to reverse that?" I asked.

"No," he answered honestly "If he becomes a werewolf any chance you two have at a relationship is over."

"Is there any way you can tell me bad things all at the same time, because the whole spacing it out for dramatic effect thing is really starting to bug me," I sighed. "So if we prevent that from happening…" I asked hopefully

"Then you two can run off into the sunset for all I care, but if he transforms you two are done, one way or the other," he admitted.

I sighed. "It's not like we're not worrying about everything else going on and now I have to have this on my brain," I said, trying not to tear up.

"Hey Rachael come on, the guy is still human, don't count the vampires before they blood suck, ok?" he said with a small grin.

"Thanks Damon," I said, feeling a little shrugged. I still couldn't help but think something was still bothering him. "Are you ok Damon, did reading Elizabeth's journal bring up any bad memories?" I asked sympathetically.

"No," he answered in an irritated voice. "It brought up great memories," he answered honestly.

"You miss her…" I stated understandingly.

"Maybe," he shrugged. "I'm a little too pissed to be missing her."

"Why?"

"She knew everything about me, I hid nothing from her, she was my best friend. How is it that I could tell her everything, but she thought she could tell me nothing?" he near growled.

"She did it to protect you," I answered. "With Katherine and God knows what else working against her who knows what would have happened if she told you," I assured him.

"Either that or she didn't trust me," he stated. Damon was really good at hiding his feelings but I could still tell that he was feeling hurt and betrayed.

My eyes softened and I felt sympathetic, I couldn't help but want to comfort him. Damn my compassionate nature!

"Damon," I said softly. "I didn't know Elizabeth but if there is one thing I do know is that she loved you, I can feel it. She wouldn't keep secrets from you if she didn't think there was a good reason for it."

"Maybe your right but it's not like I can ask, now can I?" he said, clearly hurt and pissed.

I sighed, I wish I knew what to say to make this better but I didn't think there was anything I could say. Elizabeth and Damon had a brother/sister relationship that was most likely a thousand times stronger than mine and Jeremy's. If I found out Jeremy had hid stuff like this from me I'd be really hurt so it must be a thousand times worse for Damon.

"I'm so sorry Damon," I said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He shook it off. "Oh well, it's not like there's anything we can do about it now, we have better things to think about, like how Jeremy's going to react," he smirked at that.

I groaned. "You're never going to let me live this down are you?"

"Not if I live to be a billion," he assured me, going back to his former self.

I laughed. "I'm going to remember this if I ever get something to blackmail you with," I warned.

"Yeah, you do that. Good luck," he scoffed.

A few brief and shining moments and then were back to him being an we got back to the house Caroline was still there along with Stefan, and Sheriff Forbes was still in the basement.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" I asked.

"Weren't you already leaving for home not too long ago?" Caroline asked curiously. "Don't get me wrong I'm glad to see you back but why did you?"

"Katherine called," Damon answered.

"That bitch tried to get her to convince Tyler to give Mason the moonstone."

"I don't think that's why she called…" I said in an almost curious voice, now that I was thinking about it. "I think she might have called to get an intake on my personality," I stated, something dawning on me."

You mean to see if she could convince you to switch sides?" Stefan asked, confused.

"No…what if she did it to see if I would react to her the way Elizabeth would?" I asked, growing somewhat nervous. "What if she wanted to—to test me? To look into my strengths and weaknesses?"

"You mean to see if she thought you would be useful to her?" man, for a smart guy Stefan could be so clueless sometimes.

"No, to see if I had the same weaknesses as Elizabeth; to see if I would risk _everything_ for someone I loved—just like Elizabeth probably did," I stated.

"Well, this day just keeps going from bad to worse," Damon said, walking over to the liquor cabinet.

"Tell me about it," I muttered before plopping myself onto the couch.

"Well, it can't get much worse than that right?" Caroline said, trying to cheer us up.

"Unless you count risking killing the guy I have a date with tomorrow a positive, we definitely can count on things getting worse—but thanks anyway for trying," I said rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand

Where's the weed or Ibuprofen when you need it?

"Whoa, freeze and rewind here," Caroline said, going into girly-girl mode. "You have a date tomorrow?"

"With Tyler…which I clearly must cancel," I huffed.

"Nonononono! You _can't_ cancel," Caroline stated shaking her head vigorously. "Not with the way he was looking at you the other night—"

"If he has to choose between dating me and his life, I'm pretty sure he's going to pick his life," I stated, somewhat annoyed.

"Why would he die?" Caroline asked.

"Because I'm an Eruoica Caroline, if he becomes a werewolf we'll have a mystical bond and if that bond becomes stronger he could drop dead, literally," I stated, talking down to her.

"Well, it's a good thing he's not a wolf yet," Caroline stated.

"I never thought I'd say this, but the bleach blonde vamp is right, he's not a werewolf and it's not like you can just ignore him," Damon said, taking a shot of scotch."

"I used to be really good at ignoring people," I stated, quickly growing depressed.

"Come on Rachael, your giving up before you've even started, that doesn't sound like any powerful being I've ever heard of," Caroline said.

I sighed. "I just don't want to risk anything bad happening and with everything else going on—"

"Excuses, excuses," Caroline stated. "Rachael, on your date tomorrow we will handle everything while you enjoy your date with Tyler."

"What happens if you need me while I'm out on my date?" I asked skeptically.

"You have a cell phone don't you?" she retorted.

"Damon, Stefan, what do you guys think?" I asked, unsure.

"I don't know Rachael," Stefan answered honestly. "It seems like a pretty big risk."

"This coming from you," Caroline rolled her eyes.

"I think you should go for it," Damon stated, taking another shot.

"Is that you or the scotch talking?" I asked skeptically.

"I'm serious, what's the point of not being able to live forever if you can't make every moment count?" Damon said, actually sounding somewhat wise for once.

"He's got a point," Caroline said.

They all had a point; as much as I wanted to go on this date I didn't want to play with Tyler's life. But Tyler wasn't a wolf yet and I could still hear Elena and Jeremy telling me if I never try I'll never know. Not to mention, if Stefan could be with Elena and protect her from all the bad things that might happen, why couldn't I? I sighed.

"But what am I supposed to wear?" I asked, going into my girly-girl mode.

"I told you we would handle everything didn't I?" Caroline said with a mischievous grin

Uh oh

When Caroline said she'd help me with the whole date preparation thing, I didn't think she'd make me her human sized Barbie doll. She made sure Tyler wasn't there when we came back to the Lockwood's guest room so she could go through every outfit in my closet. After that she made me leave and told me to tell Tyler to pick me up at her house. I haven't left her room since then. I've never been on a date before but I'm pretty sure that getting ready doesn't actually take this long.

"I'm going on a date not to The Oscars," I rolled my eyes

."This is a big day for you, aren't you excited?" she squealed as if this was her date.

"Your too busy making me nauseous to make me excited," I stated, irritated.

"Why? Come on, this is a big day for you," Caroline said as if she was working a beauty salon.

"This is starting to feel like a big day for _you_," I muttered.

"I'm happy for you ok," Caroline said. "I think Tyler may have some real feelings for you and this is really good for you both."

"Isn't that the reason someone asks you out because they think they may have real feelings for you?" I asked, confused.

"In most cases," Caroline agreed in a sickly sweet voice.

"Caroline," I stated, she was hiding something I could feel it.

"What earrings do you think look better—"

"Caroline, what aren't you telling me?" I asked demandingly.

Caroline sighed. "Look Rachael, Tyler is the kind of guy with a complicated past and that sort of makes him the kind of guy who asks a girl out because he expects to get _something_ else out of her—"

"And your just telling me this now?" I asked, freaking out.

"No!" Caroline said, going into defensive mode. "Rachael you've been a really good friend to me and you helped save my boyfriend's life, I would never let you go on a date with Tyler if I thought all he wanted from you is a one night stand!" she promised.

"Why am I just finding out about this?" I now said more to myself then to Caroline.

"Tyler's our friend too Rachael, we like to think the best of him," Caroline said in a small still somewhat defensive voice.

I just shook my head. "I need to make a call," I said and left for her bathroom.

I called someone I knew would put me to my senses.

"Hey Rachael, how's it going?" Jeremy asked cheerfully.

"I need to ask you something, don't be mad," I asked, waiting for the bomb to go off.

"What's wrong?" Jeremy asked.

"I was asked out by Tyler Lockwood and I said yes," I rushed out before putting the phone away from my ear, waiting for the yelling.

"I heard," he spoke calmly.

"You heard? Who tol—"

"Damon." We said at the same time. "That S.O.B," I hissed.

"Yeah," Jeremy agreed.

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner," I said regretfully. "I knew you'd be mad and never approve."

"I'm not sure if I do yet," he answered, still keeping his cool. "If you had told me this a few hours ago I would have blown up in your face, I'm not going to lie, but that's only because I think you can do better than what he can offer you."

I smiled. "Thanks Jeremy that means a lot," I said, already feeling a little better.

"I don't know what to do Jeremy, in a few short weeks I'm going to turn into the creature from the Mystic Falls lagoon, Tyler might become a werewolf—"

"And the world might end in a fiery explosion in the next five minutes and we would never know it," Jeremy said, being the wise voice of reason again.

"I'm being serious—"

"So am I, we're not vampires Rachael, it isn't hard for our lives to end at any moment. You had your life taken away from you at a young age; I think you deserve a night where you just get to be a teenager, without worrying about bad things happening. You deserve that too," he assured me.

"I know…your right, it's just that I've survived all these years by thinking of all the bad things that might happen and avoiding them, old habits die hard I guess," I admitted.

"That was probably necessary when you were all alone and fighting to survive," Jeremy said. "But you have people who care about you and support you now; you have a home whenever you need one."

"Thanks Jeremy," I said, touched.

"You're welcome, and you _should_ go out with Tyler—at least once, it's just one date and I promise the universe won't spontaneously combust if you're not there to make sure Damon doesn't do anything stupid," he said sarcastically.

"Are you sure about that?" I scoffed, equally sarcastic.

"I'm sure," he laughed.

"I have to admit I'm shocked Jeremy, I thought you would be furious," I said, confused.

"I was, first because I heard about this from Damon, and second because the date was with Tyler but…Tyler's not that bad and this might be good for you," he said.

"But…what about Tyler?" I couldn't help but ask. "What if things get complicated?"

"Then we'll cross that bridge when we reach it, we have time Rachael, don't worry about that now. Focus on tonight for now," he demanded friendlily.

"Thanks Jer, you always know what to say," I grinned.

"I know," he laughed. "But I'm busy so I'll talk to you later."

"Ok, bye.""Bye." I walked back into Caroline's room, finally starting to feel excited about this date like I was supposed to.

"Rachael—"

"Relax Caroline, it's ok," I smiled a little before sitting back down.

"It is?" she asked, suddenly confused.

"Yeah, I think I'm all right now," I smiled.

"What did I miss?" Caroline asked.

"I just got some much needed advice," I stated. "Now make me look presentable will ya?"

"You're going to look way better then presentable when I'm done," Caroline stated with another one of her mischievous grins.

"Would you stop smiling like that when you're doing things that I don't know about to my hair and face," I laughed.

"Don't worry about it." When she finally finished and I got to look in the mirror and I have to admit I liked what I saw.

The ends of my hair were curled and flipped to the side so all my hair was out of my face. Caroline did something different with the makeup to make my eyes stick out and they almost seemed to shine a little. It's amazing what a smoky eye and a dark lip gloss can do to a girl.

"Thanks Caroline," I said soon after looking in the mirror.

"You're welcome," she said, clearly proud of herself. Of course not long after this happened Tyler was ringing the doorbell and I was becoming nervous again.

"Caroline, I look ok right?" I asked, becoming jittery.

"You look way better then ok, now open the door," she said with a squeal.

"Ok, wish me luck," I said, my heart racing.

"Bonne chance!" she said crossing her fingers.

I walked over there and opened the door to find a very handsome Tyler in a brown leather jacket with dark wash jeans, a lop sided grin, and perfectly messy hair—I was so screwed.

"Hi," I managed to get out with a nervous grin.

"Hey," he grinned

He was looking at me like a kid at the ice cream shop and I was just standing there trying not to melt.

_Say something you idiot!_

"I'm sorry you had to pick me up at Caroline's house but she's—"

"She's Caroline," Tyler finished with a nod "Don't worry, this was a much better surprise, ready to go?

"Yup, I'm screwed.

"Yeah," I said walking closer to him before turning to Caroline.

"Good night Caroline, thanks for everything."

"You're welcome, Tyler you better treat her like a princess or I'll rip your throat out," she stated with false sweetness.

"I will," he assured her.

"You do realize she was serious?" I asked, half teasing, half imploring.

"I know," he said, amused.

"Are we going to The Grill?" I asked curiously, trying to hide how nervous I was.

"No," he said as if it was a ridicules idea. "I can't take you to a place with all those guys there; you already attract attention without the makeup."

"Am I supposed to take that as a compliment?" I asked, not sure how to take that.

"Yes." he smiled. "I'd like a night to ourselves, when I'm not glaring at the vultures trying to pick at you," he said, the amusement wiped off his face.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were jealous Tyler," I said, a small smile on my face.

"No, I would just like to show you my game before any other guys get the chance to," he stated.

I sighed. "Tyler, I've been through a lot lately, I've been through a lot in general and I know that you probably have too so I have to be honest and say that you're not getting anything _extra_ from me tonight. I have no interest in playing any games with anyone and I really like you so I think you deserve to know that," I said, not looking at him.

"And to be honest I'd be really shocked if you were the kind of girl to have sex with me on the first night," he sounded amused and I finally looked at him. "And while were being honest the main reason I didn't take you to The Grill was because I wanted this to be a special night for you and there's really nothing special about that place."

"Really?" I asked touched.

"Really." I smiled, all my nervousness gone,

"So where are we going?"

"Somewhere…different," he said, that wolfish—no pun intended—grin back on his face.

He drove until the road ended and parked there.

"Uhh, Tyler, where are we?" "Somewhere we don't have to wait for our food and try to talk over a huge crowd of people," he said, escorting me out of the shiny black took me to the back of the truck and opened the bed to reveal a picnic basket lying on top of a blanket with candles lying on the floor.

I was shocked and completely speechless.

"Tyler…this…"

"I'm not done," he said, went to the back of the truck and took out a rose form the picnic basket and held it out for me. "A rose for an even more beautiful rose?" he said almost bashfully.

_I am positively screwed…but I'm starting to mind a little less. _

"Thank you," I said, clearly touched.

He helped me onto the truck and then started taking the food out "Did you make any of this?"I asked

"I might have…if it wasn't for the fact that I can't make pop up waffles," he stated and I laughed.

"That's good, I wouldn't want you to be to perfect," I said, teasing.

"Well no worries there because I'm not even close," he said, nearly scoffing.

"You don't give yourself enough credit, I wouldn't have gone out with you if I didn't think you had some redeeming qualities," I assured him.

"Gee thanks," he said with sarcasm.

"No really Tyler, you've got a lot more going for you than just a handsome face and a good name and I wouldn't be saying it if I didn't mean it," I promised with another reassuring smile.

"Thanks," he said _without_ the sarcasm.

The rest of the date was perfect, perfect for me anyways. The food was good and there were no crowded restaurants, no shouting over anyone else, and no awkward silences. The best part was that there were no arguments and I didn't have to worry or think about anything bad happening. For the first time in my life I felt free.

The night was perfect too. The sky was clear and the moon was full, which meant that as soon as dinner was over we could lie down next to each other and gaze up at the sky without having to say anything at all. I got to enjoy the feel of him next to me, the feel of him putting his hand in mine and intertwining our fingers.

Unfortunately, things were going so perfectly neither of us bothered to check the time. "Tyler…what time is it?" I asked, the magic spell starting to break.

Tyler's eyes opened wide he hurriedly got out his cell phone. "It's after midnight, crap we are dead!" he said frantically jumping up and of the truck.

I rushed out of the back of the truck and into the passenger seat. He rushed us back home, barely going the legal speed limit and passing yellow lights whenever he could. When we finally did get to the Lockwood's house we both ran out of the car but there was something I had to do before the night was over.

"Tyler…" I said before coming up behind him and pulling him to face me.

I gave him a quick kiss before I could lose my courage. When I stopped I said, "Sorry, I just really wanted to do that before the night was over," I said, quickly becoming embarrassed.

I tried walking off but he pulled me back into his arms, holding me so I was under him and he was supporting my weight as if we were in some sort of romantic movie.

"Well then you should really make sure we get it right," he said before kissing me.

This kiss was almost better than the first. It was sweet but deep and long lasting, the perfect kiss to a perfect date. I couldn't be more grateful to anyone as I am to Damon, Caroline, and Jeremy for getting me into this as I am now. He finally pulled back so I landed on my feet and started turning red.

"Well…alright then," I said with an embarrassing smile on my face.

He grabbed my hand and half pulled me back into the house. Another unfortunate thing was that Mrs. Lockwood was there to greet us."Good evening you two or is it good morning now?" she asked with false sweetness.

"We can explain," Tyler said before his voice started trailing off, completely clueless as to what that explanation was.

Lockwood sighed. "Explain tomorrow, I have some bad news for you both," she said with a sorrowful tone.

"Is everything ok? Did something happen?" I couldn't help but ask with worry.

"Mason is gone," she said sympathetically.

"What?" Tyler asked his shocked expression probably matching my own.

"He left, just like that?" I asked, hurt and confused.

"I'm sorry but that's just how he is, sometimes he'll be there for a while and then disappear for ten years," she admitted. "I thought he'd stay longer this time though."

"But why would he…" I trailed off, something dawning on me.

"What?" Tyler asked, looking at my expression.

"Nothing," I said quickly. "I'm just surprised, that's all."

"Yeah, me too," Tyler said, clearly hurt.

I walked up to the guest bedroom and shut the door angrily before calling the shit head of the hour.

"Do you have any idea how late it is?" I heard an irritated voice on the other end of the phone.

"Damon, what the _hell _did you do?" I nearly screamed into the phone

This can't be happening, not now.


	30. Chapter 29

**I am SO Sorry about how late this chapter is guys. My beta has been so busy and since were both doing college stuff and doing all these different things it's been impossible. So PLEASE forgive us. This chapter should hopefully make up for it. Also, I know that last chapter was a bit of a dosey, what with that perfect date (that needs to happen to me one day) and Mason's "Mysterious disappearance". Not to mention Bonnie's going to show up and those two didn't exactly leave at good terms hmmm… but since I don't want to give anything away let's just see what happens next shall we?**

**P.S: The song in this chapter (I know, I'm using a song!) is called please don't leave quite yet by Adam Agin.**

**PP.S: I have another story! It's a Charmed fanfic so check it out and tell me what you think when you can ;). **

**Shippolove844: I know…Damon can be such an inconsiderate jerk sometimes but we love him anyway lol hope you like this chapter. **

**XXxCastielxXx: I'm glad you liked all the twists and turns of my story, I hope you like this one as much as you loved the last one. **

**.Muscade: I'm glade; truth is things didn't really start moving along until after I got my beta so it's great to see that my work has improved. **

**Hodhod2011danger: Thank you so much! Your review has been one of my favorites and I'm so sorry for the long wait. Hope this chapter makes up for it. **

"What do you mean, what did I do?" a sleepy Damon asked

"Where's Mason, what did you do to him Damon?" I spat out

"Why do you assume I know where he is?" he asked with a twisted type of innocent sarcasm

"Do I look like an idiot Damon? Do I have the words 'I'm an idiot' tattooed on my forehead? I know you wanted to kill Mason and now he's mysteriously disappeared!" I was trying really hard not to scream in this house

"You don't look like an idiot…some of the time" I knew he was smirking, that jackass really needs a new expression

"Answer the question Damon" I demanded

"Mason's not our concern anymore, I thought you would be happy Rach, after all he wasn't the great guy you thought he was anyway" I could guess he was shrugging

"That doesn't mean I wanted him to disappear you king of morons! What happened, did you lock him up somewhere, erase all his memories, what?" I hissed

"Not exactly" he stated and the line went dead

"I know that asshole didn't just hang up on me" I said in a near state of shock

"Rachael"

"AH" I dropped the phone and turned to see Tyler's confused face "O, Tyler, you scared me"

"Are you ok? I know Mason was becoming a father figure to you" he asked sympathetically

I smiled a little "I'm fine, I'm just confused, he didn't even say goodbye and I'm usually the one that does that so…" I shrugged a little

"I'm sorry Rachael, this must be as hard for you as it is for me" he said, coming over and hugging me

"It's just sort of shocked, he didn't have a reason to leave so soon as far as I knew" I admitted

"Well maybe he'll come back" he said, trying to sound hopeful

I didn't have it in me to tell him he might not ever see Mason again.

"I swear to God that bastard better have Mason in a cave somewhere" I muttered

Damon had called me and told me to meet him at his house and then he hung up before I could talk. That guy is going to make me die young I just know it.

My suspicions on dying young were confirmed when I saw Alaric, Jeremy, Stefan, and Damon grabbing wooden stakes and who knows what other weapons. "Ok, I'm afraid to ask because I know you're going to tell me, but what the heck are you guys doing?" I asked skeptically, not taking my eyes off of Damon, knowing he could feel my gaze

"Were getting ready to kill Katherine" Damon said as if it was nothing

I scoffed "I'm sorry, I think I have something in my ear or maybe I'm hallucinating, what did you say?"

"No your ears are fine, were killing her, tonight" Damon stated

I looked at Jeremy who was grabbing stakes and putting them in his sleeves "Please tell me you're not going with them" I said, getting ready to yell at him

"I'm going" Jeremy stated

"Over my dead body" I stated

"Rachael-"

"She's over two hundred years old!" I started yelling "She's smart, she's fast, she's powerful, and I can't let you go up against her"

"Relax demon" Damon said "The only people who will have the honor of actually putting a stake thru her heart is me and Stefan"

"Then what do you need Jeremy for?" I asked demandingly, Putting my hands on my hips

"I'm the lure" Jeremy assured me "Don't worry ok, I'll be fine"

"You don't understand" I told Jeremy, shaking my head "It took every fiber of my grandmother's being not to kill Katherine, even after she transformed, she's pure evil. Just because you have some sort of magical ring doesn't mean your invincible Jeremy."

"Which is why you need to come with us Rachael, if she tries attacking Jeremy you can help him" Alaric said, almost pleading

"I don't know how much help I can be" I answered honestly "My birthday's drawing close, I can feel it, but I'm still not powerful enough to go against Katherine if I see her I'll do my best to kill her even if I'm in a crowded room" I admitted

"We just need you there as a precaution Rachael, Katherine never went up against Elizabeth because deep down she knew she could take her. I think she's secretly afraid of you" Stefan stated

"I don't think Katherine is really capable of fearing anything except maybe death" I shrugged

"Exactly" Damon said matter-of fact "Your whole bloodline represents death"

"Gee thanks" I muttered "I hope you know that just because I don't hold grudges doesn't mean I'm not going to remember this conversation"

"Please Rachael, it would really mean a lot if you would go" damn, Jeremy's giving me that adorable look that I love so much

"Don't give me that face, I can't say no to that face" I demanded weakly

"I know" he smirked

I sighed "All right I'll help, where are we going?" I asked curiously

"The masked ball tonight, didn't you hear about it?" Jeremy asked

"No" Was I supposed to?

"Well you should have, it's at the Lockwood's house" Stefan said, confused

"What?" I asked. Becoming confused

The phone suddenly started ringing; it was the Lockwood's house phone.

"Speak of the devil" I stated before answering "Hello" I said politely

"Hi, Rachael" Mrs. Lockwood said politely "I was so busy preparing for the masked ball I forgot to tell you we were having it" she said innocently

"That's alright" I answered with false sweetness "I heard about it from someone else anyway"

"Well don't worry that pretty little head of yours because I found the perfect dress and mask for you" she said, barely concealing how excited she was about it

"Yay" I said, trying to hide how worried I was at the prospect of her choosing my dress and mask

"Now dear, about you and Tyler…"

"What was that?" I asked, starting to panic

"You and-"

"What?"

"Rach-"

"I think my battery's dying I can't hear you" I said nervously

"Wha-"

I shut my phone to hang it up and let out a nervous breath.

"Wow Rachael, you handled that really well" Alaric said sarcastically

"I didn't handle it at all" I said firmly " But sooner or later she's going to have to except that Tyler's a big boy and that I'm a big girl and that were both capable of making our decisions without her approval"

"So I'm guessing you'll be avoiding her at the ball?" Stefan asked

"Like the plague" I admitted

This got the guys to laugh. Unfortunately, before I could finally start to relax a little, the person I had looked forward to not seeing again walked through the door.

"What's going on?" Bonnie asked as soon as she saw the guys

"I see you haven't been burned at the stake yet" I muttered

"See you haven't been hung by the neck yet" she said and I hissed

"Both of you knock it off" Damon demanded "I know you didn't exactly get to know each other on the best of terms-"

"She gave me a panic attack"

"She tried to kill someone"

"Just be lucky that someone wasn't you" I gave her an ugly look

"Enough, we can't do this if we're going to kill Katherine" Jeremy stated

"What?" Bonnie asked

"We can explain" Stefan stated

"Please do" she said, reacting the same way I had

"Were going to kill Katherine" I shrugged "I'd ask you to come join us but killing a sadistic bitch might go against your pacifistic views" I grinned at her, nearly smirking

"O but you're so willing to send your so called best friend into battle, I can see your nurturing side" she said with thick sarcasm

"Unlike you I'm not under the impression that it's ok to play God" I hissed "what Jeremy does and what I choose to do is none of your power happy business"

"It's not playing God, its knowing right from wrong-"

"And that gives _you_ the right to try and kill somebody?" I asked snarkily

"Guys" Alaric stated before we could really go at it "As much as I'm sure Damon would love to watch a chick fight we have to get ready"

"Does Elena know about this?" I couldn't help but ask

The room suddenly got really quiet.

"What?" I asked

"No she doesn't and you can't tell her either" Jeremy stated almost demandingly

"Why, what happened?" I asked, becoming concerned

Another long pause.

"Elena and I broke up last night" Stefan said softly

"What, you guys were perfect for each other what happened?" I asked, shocked

"Katherine happened" Alaric stated "She mind tricked Jenna into stabbing herself and it could've gotten her killed, Elena decided it was too much of a risk" he explained

"So you guys decided that was the last straw" I stated, filling in the blanks for myself "I'm sorry Stefan"

"It's ok" he tried to shrug as though it didn't really matter

"No it's not" I went over to him to put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly "But it will be. Tonight were going to go to the ball, I'm going to be the perfect co-host since I live there, and Katherine will never see the light of the sun again. You two can run into the sunset when that finally happens" I assured him

"Let's get to work" Damon stated

Clearly he didn't like my running into the sunset comment, not that I minded since I was still mad at him. The Mason discussion was clearly not up for grabs now but it was going to happen whether he liked it or not.

"I'm not going to have to deal with _her_ on the stakeout am I?" I asked, rudely pointing at Bonnie

"I'm here" Caroline said enthusiastically, running into the house before Bonnie could retort

She hesitated at the entrance, feeling the hostility between Bonnie, Damon, and I. It was like you could see the tension like a fog rolling in.

"Hey Caroline" I smiled

"Rachael!" she nearly squealed "You have to tell me what happened with Tyler last night"

"O, that's right how did you and your werewolf lover boy do?" Damon asked sarcastically

"Wait, you, you and Tyler Lockwood?" Bonnie asked in disbelief

"Why are you going to try to blow me up for that too?" I snapped at her

"No, I'm just surprised, for a girl who was never around you sure seem to be getting around now. First with Jeremy-"

I laughed mockingly "I'm going to stop you right there because green with envy is_ not_ a good color on you" I said putting my hand up "Try getting your own life, you might walk around like you have a stick up your ass a little less"

"O and now it's clear what got the stick out of your-" she started, getting up in my face

"Be honest, how did it go?" Caroline asked, desperately trying to backtrack the situation

"It went perfectly and I'll tell you about it later" I promised her, rolling my eyes

"No, you'll tell me now" she said playfully, getting ready to drag me to the coach

"We have bigger fish to fry at the moment" Stefan stated

After we calmed Caroline down enough to get down to business we finally got the plan down and I got to go home to see the dress that Mrs. Lockwood got me.

"What if it's hideous Caroline" I whined

"Don't worry, I'll fix it" she promised as she gave me a ride back to Tyler's house "Now tell me honestly, how was the date?" she asked excitedly

I went into girl mode "It was perfectly perfect" I nearly squealed "He didn't even take me to The Grill"

"No way! Where'd he take you?" she asked curiously

"He took me on a moonlit picnic" ok, now I squealed

"O my god, no way" Caroline squealed with me "Tyler's never that romantic"

"O he was romantic alright, were talking candles and flowers, were talking star gazing" I said, relishing the memory

"Ahh, how sweet, I can't believe he didn't ask you out for the ball tonight"

"Well" I said, my cheerfulness wavering "He didn't really get the chance"

"Why?" she asked curiously

I remembered why I went to see Damon in the first place and wanted to thump myself over the head for forgetting.

"After the world's greatest kiss we went back to the house to find out Mason was gone" I admitted

"What?" Caroline asked, shocked "Why did he leave?"

"That's the thing, I don't know" I shrugged "I think Damon has something to do with it but I didn't get the chance to ask"

"Well, I hate to say this Rachael but we have more important things to worry about right now, you should probably wait to chew Damon out till later…when I can watch" she grinned mischievously, imagining what I would do

"Your right" I said as we parked in front of the Lockwood house "I'll see you later Caroline"

"Remember, I'm trusting you not to look stupid so call me if something goes wrong" she said in attempted athorative voice

I laughed "All right, I promise if she's given me some sort of clown dress-"

"Or if you look like a clown because of the makeup-"

"I will come for your expertise" I promised, trying not to roll my eyes at the conversation

"Ok then" she nodded

"Rachael" Tyler ran up to me

"Hello to you too Tyler" Caroline said sarcastically "Although I guess I can understand why you would ignore me since you're so busy playing Romeo"

"Maybe I just don't like you Caroline" Tyler retorted putting a playful arm around my waist

"Play nice guys" I demanded "We all need to get ready for the masquerade after all" I said, giving Tyler a look that clearly implied he should have invited me

He smacked his hand against his forehead "That stupid masquerade, I completely forgot"

"You forgot?" Caroline asked, not sure if she believed it

"Well, I've sort of been occupied recently" he smiled a devilish smile and pulled me closer

I blushed but pushed him away "That's not an excuse, if I don't go with you I'll just end up meeting up with Jeremy and who knows what will happen then" I said just as devilishly

"Don't even joke about that" he demanded, the grin almost gone

I laughed "Relax Tyler, I don't want to be at that ball with anyone else" I promised, wrapping my arms around his neck

"Good to know" the grin was back

"I'll see you two tonight" Caroline said cheerfully before riding off

"Listen Rachael, about tonight…" he said awkwardly

"What?" I asked, getting worried

"I don't think going together is a possibility" he mumbled

"What?"

"I don't-"

"Don't say it again!" I demanded

"Rachael, it's not that I don't want to be seen with you or anything it's just…"

"O, I can't wait to hear this" I said angrily, waiting for an explanation

He sighed "My mother wants to adopt you"

I know I just hallucinated "What?" I choked out

"My mo-"

"Definitely don't say that again" I demanded before walking back towards the house

"Rachael-"

"Why would she adopt me? Why would she want to adopt me after what happened last night? She had to at least have guessed we were on a date" I said, clearly freaking out

"That might be why but we shouldn't worry too much right now, she might not even go through with it" he tried assuring me

"So what, she thinks I'm not good enough to date you but if she adopts me I'm just another one of her charity cases?" I asked accusingly

He didn't respond.

"O my god that is exactly what she thinks isn't it?" I couldn't believe it

"Rachael-"

"I don't want to talk about this right now" I lifted my hands up demandingly "I have a masquerade to get ready for and people to talk to, I'll see you tonight"

"Rachael-"

"Later" I stated before going into the house and up to the guestroom to slam the door shut

I couldn't believe this. I knew Mrs. Lockwood was manipulative but this was just down right evil. How could she do this to me? Why would she do this to me? If she didn't want me to date her son why didn't she just demand that I didn't see him?

_Unless splitting you up isn't her only motive._ A distrusting voice in my head stated

That's when it dawned on me. What if she knew my birthday was coming up and she wanted to make sure I was under her supervision when the time came to see if the legends about my family history were true.

Uh oh.

I called Damon. "Hello?"

"Damon, I'm big time screwed, she knows or she thinks…whatever…either way I'm done for!" I was clearly panicking

"Whoa, slow down Rachael, who knows what?" Damon asked, confused

"Mrs. Lockwood, Tyler just told me she wants to adopt me but she never even really considered it before and I'm afraid that she wants to make sure I have to stick around to see if I'll transform on my birthday or not." I rushed out

"Are you sure?" Damon asked

"I don't know, it's obvious she doesn't really give a damn about me Damon so I can't help but wonder why she would even bother letting me under her roof." I was really starting to worry

"That's a good point" Damon admitted

"What should I do?" I asked the fear seeping into my voice

"It's fine Rachael; if you want I can compel her to not adopt you. You can move into the gilberts, I know they won't care, heck the kid would be thrilled." he said as if the situation was nothing, to him it probably wasn't

"I don't think the situation is that simple Damon" I was freaking out on him now

"Rachael, I have other things to worry about, you have other things to worry about, and you have time. Stop worrying." he demanded

I sighed "You're probably right, I'm being paranoid"

"I rarely say these things to people who aren't Stefan but you need to relax, enjoy the air, get laid, do something fun." he said casually

"Your right, not about the get laid part but I'm sure I'm just worried about tonight" I started relaxing "Even if I'm right I don't have to worry about it right this second right?"

"Exactly, you just worry about this tonight and we'll worry about that tomorrow"

"Thanks Damon" I said, feeling relieved

"No problem, besides, Rachael Lockwood doesn't sound bad and even if you do end up crushing on your brother-"

"Don't even try kidding about that Damon" I demanded, trying not to smile, this guy will never change

"Got to go" he said suddenly

"Bye" I said

He hung up right away. I couldn't help but sigh, every time I think I can let my guard down and be happy someone or something comes along and changes that. I might as well enjoy it while I can I guess.

Surprisingly, Mrs. Lockwood didn't get me an ugly dress, it was far from ugly. I was afraid it was going to be one of those proper looking dresses that girls would have worn in the twentieth century but it wasn't. It was simple though. It was a black strapless dress with a matching black and silver mask that covered half my face.

I loved the shoes though; the strappy, spiky silver heels went perfectly with the mask and outfit. At least now I don't really have to put any eye makeup on since I can wear the mask on all night, just play up the lips a bit and wear this awesome black rose necklace and I'm good to go.

Masquerades are definitely more fun than regular parties. For one thing it was way more fun when you got to pretend to be someone else, Of course everyone kind knows who everyone else is anyway so it doesn't matter but it's the principle of the thing. I didn't have to do a lot of eye makeup which was even better and to top it off I was on lookout duty with my best friend.

"I love masquerades, why don't people have them all the time?" I asked happily

Jeremy laughed "Because they wouldn't be special anymore"

"Good point" he smiled

"The last thing I would ever want to do is burst your bubble Rachael but were here on stakeout, remember?" he asked

"Correction, you're on stakeout, there's no way I can look for Katherine in this crowded party, trust me, you don't want the kind of scene I can give" I stated, not letting anything burst my party bubble

He laughed again "It's good to see you in a nice mood Rachael, especially in a situation like this"

"I just keep remembering that I don't have the same limitations Katherine did, Damon and Stefan loved Katherine so of course Elizabeth couldn't kill her. I don't have to worry about it, if I kill her by accident nobody's going to miss her" I shrugged

"That's true, why else?" he asked, sensing an underlying motive

I sighed "Every time something good comes into my life, like you guys, I get a lot of bad things in return, nothing ever lasts, not even the good things. I might as well just enjoy the good things while they last"

"That's a good attitude but I think you might be over thinking it" he said honestly

"I know, I've been over thinking everything recently" I shrugged

"Hey good looking" I knew who's voice that was

"Tyler" I said bitterly as I turned around

"Hey Tyler" Jeremy said as politely as possible

I had told Jeremy what had happened and like a true friend he had taken my side. How could I not love this guy?

"Can I talk to you?" he asked

Can't he see were on stakeout? "Sorry, were busy" I stated before turning back around

"Rachael" he said pleadingly "Please"

I sighed and turned to hug Jeremy "Get Bonnie to watch with you, as much as I hate to admit it, she's better suited for this job then I am" I whispered in his ear before kissing him on the cheek

"I will, you know where to find me" he implored

I smiled reassuringly before walking off with Tyler "You know Tyler, it's probably better if we don't argue in front of all of Mystic Falls" I stated, getting ready to argue anyway

"I didn't call you over to argue I called you over to ask you to dance" he said

"What?" I asked, surprise written all over my face

"Yeah, it would shock me too" he admitted "But I sort of had an epiphany and I wanted you to hear about it"

"Ok" I said, clearly confused

He took a deep breathe "I don't usually ask girls out on a second date because I'm the kind of guy who gets what he wants on the first" he admitted

"Is this supposed to be reassuring?" I asked skeptically

"Wait for it" he demanded gently "I almost never find a girl who wouldn't date me right away and I know it's all for the wrong reasons. It's always because I'm the handsome football star who's also the major's son"

"I didn't-"

"I know you didn't care about that stuff and that's why you unsettled me Rachael, I liked you from the beginning but I knew you wouldn't like me for the reasons other girls do. If you were going to like me you were going to like me for whom I was and that freaked me out a little bit" he confessed

"Why?" I couldn't help but ask

"Because I didn't think you would like who I am, I don't even like who I am some of the time. What I told you about what my mom said was true but I also thought I was giving you an out" he admitted

"An out?" I asked, disbelief coloring my voice

"Well yeah, I mean I'm obviously not and ordinary guy and after all you've been through you I thought you would want an ordinary life. I know Gilbert can give that to you-"

"You think Jeremy's ordinary?" I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing

He laughed too "Well when you say it like that…"

"Tyler" I said comfortingly "Do you honestly think I would go out with you if I didn't like you for who you are? I'm a nice person Tyler but not that nice, certainly not nice enough to go out on a date with someone I didn't like"

"Seriously?" he asked, actually sounding a little unsure

"Seriously, and for the record, Jeremy is like my brother, there will never be any romantic feelings between us" I assured him

"I kind of figured that out" he admitted

"So, what now?" I asked curiously

"Well first I'm going to ask you to dance" I laughed "Then I'm going to have to tell my mother that adopting you isn't going to work out"

"Definitely not" I shook my head

"So, would you like to dance?" he held out his hand

"I would love to" I grinned and took it

I wasn't much of a dancer and neither was he so we just sort of swayed to the music, it was nice.

_**Underneath my bed there's a raincoat **_

"So…Do you mind if I ask where we go from here?" I asked curiously "Or are we at the 'we'll see how this thing goes' stage?"

_**Packed with scarves and books just go look**_

_**But don't let the storm slow you down**_

"I honestly don't know" he admitted "I mean I never even thought I would get this this far with a girl, especially with since we haven't had sex yet"

"It's amazing how you can get intimate with someone without it" I said, amused

_**No, honey, don't let the storm slow us down, **_

"It's weird for me, wanting to actually get to know someone and not needing sex from a girl"

"Should I be flattered or insulted" I asked with a raised eyebrow

_**The sound the furnish makes irritates you**_

_**I promise by next spring we'll replace it**_

"Flattered, definitely flattered"

I smiled.

"Well I like that I can trust you to be honest with me and I would like for us to be able to take things slowly" I said, assuring

_**But don't let the wind run us down**_

_**No, honey don't let the wind run us down**_

"I would like that too, we don't have to figure things out right away" he looked happy and relieved at the same time

"I would like that but Tyler, while were figuring things out, I would appreciate if we didn't see other people while were doing this" I said, worried as to how he would react "If you want to see other girls that's fine, just let me know now so I don't have to worry about a relationship between us so that I can move on"

_**It'll run us down**_

"Actually I think that's fair, I wouldn't want you seeing other guys while were figuring this out either but I am a little worried"

About what?" I asked

"If I'll be able to keep that promise" he looked down "It's hard for me, not being with someone that way"

"I won't be pressured Tyler" I said firmly, shaking my head slowly

"I don't want to pressure you, I'm being honest and if I ever do something like that I want to tell you right away because I couldn't keep something like that from you and I wouldn't want to hurt you more by making you hear it from someone else" he said honestly

"So you promise to tell me if you ever cheat on me while were figure this out?" I could not wrap my head around this

"I'm not saying I will but it just seems like something I might do, does that make you mad?"

_**It'll run us down**_

_**It'll run us down **_

I didn't know what to say. What could I say? That I appreciate the honesty but I don't want to risk you turning out to be the douche bag you think you are?

Before I could think of what to say Bonnie came up to us "Rachael, Caroline wants to talk to you" she said reluctantly

"No problem, I'm pretty sure I'd rather be anywhere but here" I said in an almost breathless voice

"Rachael-"

_**I want to make it better, I swear**_

"I'm being honest Tyler" I stated

Ouch, ok that was a low blow

"I'll talk to you later" I said before leaving to find Caroline

I found her upstairs wearing a break your heart tart red dress "Rachael, you look great" she said

"So do you"

_**I'll work to make it better**_

"Rachael what happened?" she asked concerned

"I don't want to talk about it, what's up?" I asked in a dull voice

"Just wanted to warn you not to go upstairs again until Stefan and Damon give you the ok, they're handling Katherine in the main guestroom" she said

"No problem"

"Rachael, why aren't you with Tyler?" she asked curiously

"Why would I want to be with a guy who basically admitted he might not be able to be faithful to me?" I said bitterly

"Because he might kill someone if you're not there for him and that will turn him into a werewolf" she said awkwardly

_**So please don't leave quite yet**_

"What?" I asked

"I thought you knew" she said weakly

"O that's bull, nobody ever tells me anything" I said, rushing downstairs to find Tyler

Tyler was in a room with Matt and some other girl drinking

"Tyler" I said, relieved

_**So please don't leave quite yet**_

"Look Tyler, it's one of those rare girls who's smart enough to realize she's too good for you" Matt said, raising his glass

"Hey, that's mean" the other girl said

"But true" he retorted

_**Please don't leave quite yet**_

"Matt, how much have you been drinking?" I asked, moving towards him cautiously

"Enough apparently, you should go Rachael" Tyler said warning and imploring

_**Don't leave**_

"I'm not going any wear" I promised, something about this didn't feel right

Things happened really fast after that. Matt lunged for me, probably knowing Tyler would defend me and then Tyler started fighting him, clearly pissed now. Luckily, Caroline was there to come between the two of them, unluckily Caroline had to knock Matt unconscious.

"What happened to him?" Caroline wondered out loud, staring down at him

"Matt failed" the other girl said in a trance like state "If Matt fails I must not"

Before I could even register that any of this was actually happening she tried stabbing Tyler with a letter opener. Caroline didn't even have time to react before he accidently threw her onto the side of the desk and she badly hit her head

_**Please don't leave quite yet**_

"Tyler" I nearly screamed as a warning

We went to see if she was ok. She wasn't, not by a long shot, we couldn't help her. She hit her head too hard. This couldn't be happening.

_**Please don't leave quite yet**_

I sort of went into shock after that. Tyler was going to be a werewolf now, how am I going to handle this? How is he going to handle this? His normal life is over. Any chance at a relationship was over.

_**Don't' leave**_

"Tyler" Caroline nearly whispered as he crouched down in pain

When he looked up at me his eyes had gone completely yellow and he had a confused and terrified look on his face.

What has Katherine done?

_**Don't leave**_

_**Please don't leave quite yet**_

_**Please don't leave quite yet**_

**Author's note: I totally left it there on purpose, aren't I a stinker aha! Seriously folks I have some AMAZING news. My amazing, wonderful beta that I would be totally lost without helped me post pictures of my main character's on my profile! Now you can see what Rachael and Golden (from my other story) look like! Just go to my profile and you'll see the link =)**


	31. Chapter 30

**What?! An update before I've turned gray in the hair!? Lol yes it is possible and it did happen. I'm proud to say this chapter's coming at a more satisfying date. That last chapter was intense, even for me! It makes you wonder if Tyler and Rachael can ever be together now doesn't it? Let's see how things work out shall we. The song in this is called Some nights by FUN, I heard the song and fell in love with it!**

**shippolove844: Thanks. It definitely brings up the debate though doesn't it? Is love enough? **

**Jensi: Thanks so much! It really has been too long hasn't it? Time to pick up the slack.**

**HermioneandMarcus: Love your enthusiasm! Hope this chapter satisfies.**

**hodhod2011danger: Thanks for the comment and sorry for the long wait. I'm glad you like Rachael. I hope this chapter is worth the wait too. **

My life is hell, all over again. The universe officially hates me. Mason might be dead because of my great grandmother's best friend, my birthday is less than three weeks away, and the only guy I've ever considered opening up too is now a werewolf. And being an Eurocia, that meant that I couldn't be with him anymore, any chance we had at a future together is gone.

I'd start sobbing uncontrollably but I'm already cried out. I've been through so much in such a short time it's a miracle my brain hasn't fried and my body hasn't collapsed from exertion. Caroline was talking to the cops, working on Tyler's alibi and I was trying to pull myself together enough to comfort Tyler.

I felt pity on top of everything else I was feeling. I understood the feeling of not knowing what was going on or what I was better than anybody. I completely understood what Tyler was going through but I didn't know what to say to make this better because there was nothing I could say. That feeling of being lost and scared was one I knew all too well and I don't think anyone could have made it better if I was in Tyler's place and he was in mine. But I had to try.

"Tyler" I said as soothingly as possible, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder

He looked at me with shock before putting his hands in his face and shaking my hand off. Pity washed over me, I knew that feeling of being a monster all too well too. "It's alright Tyler, everything's going to be fine" I said weakly, nearly scoffing at my own words, things were as far from fine as it could get

"No…It's not" Tyler said, clearly numb "What's happened to me?" he asked looking at me as if I'd somehow have all the answers

"I…" crap, how was I supposed to answer that?

"Rachael" Mrs. Lockwood called

Well, what do you know, saved by the Lockwood "Yes?" I asked, rising up from my seat

"Did you see what happened?" Mrs. Lockwood asked, concerned

"It was an accident" I assured her "The whole thing"

"She saw the same thing I did and I already gave you my story, so if you don't mind I'd like to talk to my friend alone" Caroline asked as the cops started to approach me

Caroline took me by the shoulders and escorted me to just outside the room. She must have seen the out of body experience I was having because she pulled me to her and squeezed me as if she was willing me back to the land of the living. "It's going to be fine Rachael, everything's going to work out" she assured me

God, did that sound like complete bullshit when _I_ said it? "No it isn't, I don't know what I should tell him, what am I supposed to say?" I was on the verge of crying again

"Well you can't tell him anything Rachael, he can't know what he or any of us are" she said, warning

I pulled away from her "What!" I asked, nearly yelling

"Shhh" Caroline said, looking back to see if the cops were listening

"What do you mean I can't tell him anything?" I hissed "What are you thinking? That was once us!"

"I know" Caroline stated "And I want to tell him, I do but it's too dangerous, ok. Werewolf bites can kill vampires and now you're a danger to him" Caroline said rationally "Think about it, he's already closer to you than he ever was with another girl, do you really want to risk him falling in love with you and dying?"

I sighed and let a few tears fall. This was a nightmare, a living breathing nightmare "I should've just stayed away, if I hadn't gone to Mystic Falls and met you people none of this would have happened" I said bitterly before rushing off

"Rachael" Caroline called out almost mournfully

I ran out of the party and started walking Towards Jeremy's house. I really wanted to go back and tell him everything, tell him what I am and what he is and promise that I'd be there for him if he needs me but I couldn't. Caroline was right, I couldn't risk getting closer to Tyler anymore.

As I walked back to the house I wanted some monster, any monster, human or vampire to find me. I wanted to give in to my nature and tear someone's throat out so that I could hold them responsible. I could put all the blame on them and kill them and feel better. But knowing that was what I wanted gave me shivers that had nothing to do with the cool breeze outside. I didn't want to be like the people I hurt and murdered.

When I got to the Gilbert's house I knocked on the door, luckily Jeremy was the one who answered. He opened the door with sleepy eyes that quickly turned to a look of concern when he saw my face. "Rachael, what's wrong?" he asked, holding out his arms

"What isn't wrong?" I nearly laughed before embracing him

"Come on, we can talk upstairs" he said softly after the embrace

Once we got upstairs I told him everything, what Tyler said and then everything that lead up to him being turned into a werewolf and how my life was over. He didn't interrupt me once and when I stopped talking he just sat there, staring at me with the most sympathetic look I've ever seen. "You've had some night" he finally said

I laughed a little and nodded "I shouldn't have said that to Caroline, I didn't mean it-"

"Even if you did mean it, you have a point. It seems we've been dragging you into this from the day we meet you" he said, almost like an admission

"Maybe just a little" I said sarcastically

"Do you want to spend the night, give you some time to figure things out?" he asked

"Honestly Jer, I think I had better go home. I don't have any clothes and we have school tomorrow-"

"It's dangerous to be out alone at night" Jeremy said rationally "You can borrow some of Jenna's clothes and we can go to school tomorrow together, I'll help you deal with the Tyler situation"

I smiled and hugged him "Thanks Jer, you always know how to make things better" I said, feeling more at ease and relieved than before

"You're welcome" Jeremy said

I got up to borrow clothes and go to sleep when a sudden thought occurred to me "Hey Jeremy"

"Yeah?"

"Do you by any chance know what happened to Mason?" I asked, not sure if I really wanted to know the answer

…"Damon took care of him" he said quietly

My breathing hitched "By took care of him you mean…"

"Damon killed him Rachael" he said slowly, as if he was talking to a scared rabbit "He didn't have a choice"

"There's always a choice, ok, he had a choice" I hissed, not sure if I wanted to scream and cry or break things

"I agree but Rachael, he was going to expose all of us" Jeremy stated "He was a danger to our way of life and-"

"O so it justifies killing him as long as we can keep our way of life going, as long as we can keep things normal?" I asked angrily

"No, this isn't about keeping things normal, it's about keeping us alive" Jeremy said trying to reason with me "If he had exposed us, a lot more people would have been put in danger and we would be on the run, do you want to go back to running Rachael?"

I gave up, on all of it. I had honestly never felt so hopeless in my entire life, and this included the seconds after I killed a man. My life was a live in horror film, all over again. My life was so much easier when I had been on my own. At least when I was alone I wasn't paying for other people's messes, at least when I was alone I wasn't losing anyone because I didn't have anyone.

"You were always better than this, better than me and you stood by and watched him do that" I was nearly whispering, shaking my head in disbelief "how could you?" I asked, shocked

"Rach, if I really thought there was any other way-"

"Save it Jeremy" I demanded before leaving his room

I would have left his house if I could have stomached going to Tyler's. Instead I just went into the guestroom and slammed the door behind me. This really sucked, how was I going to look Tyler in the face and not tell him what happened to his uncle? Should I tell him what happened to his uncle? I wanted to, I want nothing more than to go to Tyler's house and tell him what was going on and what had happened but it was too much. It was too much for him and it was too much for me.

I plopped down on my bed and turned on my phone to start listening to one of the song's Elena told me she really liked.

**Some nights, I stay up cashing in my bad luck  
Some nights, I call it a draw  
Some nights, I wish that my lips could build a castle  
Some nights, I wish they'd just fall off**

But I still wake up, I still see your ghost  
Oh Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for oh  
What do I stand for? What do I stand for?  
Most nights, I don't know anymore...  
Oh woah, oh woah, oh woah oh oh  
Oh woah, oh woah, oh woah oh oh

Life use to be so much simpler, evil was evil and good was good. If it was evil I didn't look at it otherwise I'd kill it. This basically led me to living my life alone though. Now I'm not alone and everything is messed up. I don't know which part of my life is more tragic, the way I'm living it now or the way I was.

**This is it, boys, this is war - what are we waiting for?  
Why don't we break the rules already?  
I was never one to believe the hype - save that for the black and white  
I try twice as hard and I'm half as liked, but here they come again to jack my style**

And that's alright; I found a martyr in my bed tonight  
She stops my bones from wondering just who I am, who I am, who I am  
Oh, who am I? Mmm... mmm...

Well, some nights, I wish that this all would end  
Cause I could use some friends for a change  
And some nights, I'm scared you'll forget me again  
Some nights, I always win, I always win...

But I still wake up, I still see your ghost  
Oh Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for, oh  
What do I stand for? What do I stand for?  
Most nights, I don't know... (Come on)

So this is it? I sold my soul for this?  
Washed my hands of that for this?  
I miss my mom and dad for this?

It's funny how the people you sometimes need the most are the last people you want to see. I don't want to think that I'm desperate for companionship but these people are the closest thing I've had to a family in seven years. I'm not going to forgive them right away, I might not be able to forgive them at all but do I owe it to them to try?

After I lost my foster parents, for some reason, I would sometimes wonder about my birth parents. All these questions came up like, if you were just going to give me up what was the point in you having me? Or, what did I ever do to deserve you tossing me aside like I'm nothing? I wanted to think that they weren't worth my time to think about but…the idea that I wasn't wanted just hurt. The idea that I'm not enough hurts.

**No. When I see stars, when I see, when I see stars, that's all they are  
when I hear songs, they sound like this one, so come on  
Oh, come on. Oh, come on, OH COME ON!**

I spent so many years feeling empty; I don't want to feel that way, not ever again.

**Well, this is it guys, that is all - five minutes in and I'm bored again  
Ten years of this, I'm not sure if anybody understands  
This one is not for the folks at home; Sorry to leave, mom, I had to go  
Who the fuck wants to die alone all dried up in the desert sun?**

My heart is breaking for my sister and the con that she call "love"  
When I look into my nephew's eyes...  
Man, you wouldn't believe the most amazing things that can come from...  
Some terrible lies...ahhh...

Oh woah, oh woah, oh woah, oh oh  
Oh woah, oh woah, oh woah, oh oh

The other night, you wouldn't believe the dream I just had about you and me  
I called you up, but we'd both agree  
It's for the best you didn't listen  
It's for the best we get our distance... oh...  
It's for the best you didn't listen  
It's for the best we get our distance... oh...

Wow, this is actually a pretty good song, way to go Elena.

I just need to sleep on this, and pray to God that nothing horribly bad is going to happen tomorrow.

I did not sleep well, at all. Lesson number one in makeup, if you're going to wear it make sure you take it off before bed. That way, your eye lids don't stick together and you don't bump your head walking into a wall in the morning. It doesn't look good the day after, at all.

A soft knock at the door interrupted me washing off my face. I opened to find Jeremy standing there. If he thought that standing there with those puppy dog eyes and a breakfast tray was going to make this better he had another thing coming. If I didn't get over emotional when they showed those animal donation commercials I wasn't going to get emotional now.

"Are you serious?" I scoffed "Do you think getting me breakfast is going to make up for letting Mason die?" I asked in a quiet hiss

"Rachael, at least try to accept my apology" he pleaded

"I'll accept your breakfast" I shrugged, I was hungry and it was early and there was coffee

I took the tray from him and proceeded to kick the door in his face with my foot before he pushed it back and ran in. "you'd be willing to come into a girl's room after she shoved a door in your face, so much for pride, aye Jer?'"

"You took breakfast from a guy who helped murder the guy who was like an uncle to you, I don't think either of us are that proud" he retorted

I'd tell him to go screw himself if I didn't think that was already how he spent his weekends. "What do you want Jeremy, I'm never going to forgive you for this so let's just save ourselves some time and get ready for school" I said, mentally exhausted since the day I met these people

"Rachael, if I thought there was any other way-"

"Don't give me any of that" I shook my head "You had a choice and now you're living with the consequences of your choice"

"Right and wrong isn't as simple as you make it out to be Rachael" he stated

"Don't you think I know that?" I asked, I paused and then sighed, putting down the tray and sitting on the bed "Jeremy, when I took that man's life I felt horrible and guilty. Those feelings had nothing to do with the fact that I took his life they were for the fact that I did it and could have gone to sleep every night like a baby every day afterwards. I felt guilty because I didn't feel guilty; in my mind he deserved it."

"He did" Jeremy assured me

"That's not the point Jeremy" I said, trying to make him understand "I took another man's life because he was beating me, and he never would've done that if I hadn't made him go crazy at the sight of me to begin with" I said, self-loathing dripping into my voice

"Is that what this whole thing is about?" Jeremy asked, sitting down next to me "You think that we were killing those people before they even died?"

"Yes, we were Jeremy" I admitted "I look back on what I did every day in my life and all I could think about was if I had better control…if I wasn't so busy mourning over my parents-"

"You were ten and too young to know what was going on Rach', you had every right to mourn and be angry, kids are supposed to bury their parents but not before they've even really lived. Fate screwed you over"

"In more ways than one" I agreed, staring at the floor

"Look Rachael, the Best way and sometimes the only way to handle a situation isn't always the right way. That's why you killed that man, that's why I let Damon kill Mason and your right, it sucks and we both have to live with it. But in our world, we have to do what he have to do" he said, his turn to make me understand

"Our world sucks" I said dully

"Yeah it does and it smells like death" Jeremy said only somewhat sarcastically

I snorted a little and laid my head down on Jeremy's shoulder "Why did Mason have to die?" I asked, only somewhat to Jeremy

"Because he had to" Jeremy stated softly "Because he wasn't just Mason anymore he was Katherine's puppet"

"What?" I asked shocked, lifting up my head to fully look at him for the first time today

"He thought Katherine loved him and he wasn't going to hear otherwise from anyone, even Damon, Katherine's former puppet and king of smartass" Jeremy said

"Nobody tells me anything, what is with everyone, do they think I'll break or something? I'm always the last to know everything" I said, getting pissed

"They're probably just doing it to protect you" Jeremy said comfortingly, putting his arm around me "It's tough enough finding whatever information they can for you with your birthday coming up…"

"You know, most girls get cars and stuff for their seventeenth birthdays not lethal powers" I said, aggravated

"It's going to be alright Rachael" Jeremy said

"No it's not, how are we going to deal with all this _and_ me turning seventeen?" I asked, worried

"Well figure it out, we always do" he promised "does this mean you forgive me now?"

"Not yet" I said honestly "It's going to take me a little more time than that but I will. I have a problem with holding grudges and staying made at you, I'll have to work on that" I said with a small smile

I had to forgive Jeremy, not just because he was right but because if I didn't forgive him I'd have to hate him for the rest of my life and I couldn't do that. Now Damon and probably Stefan on the other hand…well I don't think I'd lose too much sleep hating Damon forever, Stefan I couldn't be sure about. I know I'd have to see them, probably today and they would get an earful too.

Jeremy chuckles a little "Well can I at least give you a ride to school?" he offered

"You night have to, hanging out with all you lazy teenagers who don't have to run wherever you go has made me soft" I teased

"You sure you're ready to see Tyler" Jeremy asked

"Do you think he'll be in school today?" I asked, thinking for sure he'd stay home considering what happened last night

"You guys covered for him right? If so he'd have to go or risk people getting suspicious"

I sighed, knowing I had no choice but to go to school or risk suspicion myself "How will I face him?"

"Wish I had an answer to that one" he admitted "Come on, we need to hurry or we'll be late"

I had honestly lost track of time. By the time we were both ready for school we had to speed just to make the ten minute belle. I knew that no matter how much I avoided Tyler today that I would probably wind up seeing him. That didn't stop me from trying though. Unfortunately, for me, I only made it through one class before seeing someone I didn't want to see.

Jeremy had just walked up to me since we were headed in the same direction. That's when Stefan took it upon himself to walk up to us like nothing was wrong. "Hey Jeremy, hey Rachael, can we talk when you have time? I want to discuss Tyler's accident with you"

"Well I don't want to discuss anything with you and you have a lot of nerve walking up to me as if you didn't do anything that hurt me" I said angrily, motioning for Jeremy to keep walking

"Rachael, I didn't know that was going to happen to Tyler, I swear. I was just so busy getting rid of Katherine-"

"Getting rid of her" I came to a screeching halt in the middle of the hallway "So you did it, you killed Katherine?" I asked in awe

"Better, we locked her up in the tomb of vampires, where she should have been locked up for the past hundred years" Stefan said with a small amount of pride

"Tomb of vampires?" I asked curiously

"A hundred years ago the vampire hunters of Mystic Falls locked up the town vampires in a tomb where they starved to death without the privilege of actually dyeing since they knew the vampires couldn't die just from lack of blood"

"Vampires can't die from lack of blood?" I asked, surprised

"Nope" Jeremy said "But I wanted to tell you Stefan, Elena's got to let me know if I'm supposed to cover for her. Jenna's cool with the two of you but you guys are pushing it."

"You and Elena are back together?" I asked, some of my anger dissolving in being happy for them

"Wait, wait… hold on a minute. We're not back together" Stefan said, confused and slightly depressed

"Wait… she didn't stay at your place last night?"

That was when, at the worst possible time, my cell phone rang. "Mrs. Lockwood" I said, rolling my eyes

"Hi, I am so sorry to be calling you at school dear but Elena left her car at the house and I was thinking-"

"Elena's car is still at your house?" I asked, looking at Jeremy and Stefan with a look that had _uh oh _written all over it

"Yes and I was hoping that since you're friends with her you could ask her to come pick it up?"

"Sure, no problem, got to go bye" I said in a rush, hanging up before she could respond again "Why is Elena's car still at the Lockwood house?" I asked, worried

"It shouldn't be, her bed hadn't been slept in and Mrs. Lockwood said that her car was still in the driveway. Where is she then?"

"Elena's missing" I stated, getting strait to the point

"Rachael, you ok with ditching a little school? I have a feeling were going to need an Eruoica" Stefan asked

"One damn day Jeremy, we couldn't go one damn day" I said with clear annoyance

"We may have to get used to it" Jeremy said only somewhat sarcastically

"Please Rachael" Stefan said impatiently "For Elena?"

I gave an exasperated sigh. I may be really mad at Stefan and Damon right now, scratch that _am _really mad at Stefan and Damon but they loved Elena and wanted to see her safe and so did I. She was one of the first and few people to accept me for who I am, all of who I am. I owed it to her to find her and make sure she's ok.

"Fine" I said

This is going to be a long day.

Stefan led me outside school where we met Damon. I wasn't about to forget that he killed Mason but I could push it back until Elena is safe, and then I can rip them both a new one. "Huston, we have a problem" I said as soon as I was in hearing range of him

"Elena's missing" Stefan said "This has Katherine written all over it."

"Katherine's in the tomb. Trust me; I'm the one who shut her in." Damon said cockily but his eyes still narrowed slightly in suspicion

"Did you?"

"Did I what, Stefan?" Damon asked, getting aggravated

"Well, I know the hold that Katherine has on you."

Wow, I thought I could give Damon crap today but Stefan apparently decided to take that job off my hands. "Ouch" I said, grinning slightly

"She's in the tomb, period. End of story but she did say something to me right before I shut her in. I thought she was lying." He said, I could practically hear the word oops escape his mouth

"What did she say?" Stefan and I asked at the same time

"Elena's in danger"

"What? And you didn't think you should ask her to elaborate?"

"Not the smartest thing you've ever done" I added "Not that you're used to doing smart things, I'll admit"

"Everything she says is a lie. How am I supposed to know if she's gonna start spouting out the truth?" Damon said defensively

"We have to go talk to her" Stefan said demandingly

"Pardon, _we_?" I asked in disbelief, there were so many things wrong with those words

"No, no. Let me tell you how that's gonna go: We're gonna go ask her for help, she's gonna negotiate her release which we're gonna be dumb enough to give her and she's gonna get out and kill us! This is exactly what she wants!"

"I don't really care"

"I do" I said, shocked that we were really having this conversation "Tell me you're not actually considering me meeting the woman my own ancestor almost couldn't resist killing!"

"You'll be waiting outside" Stefan offered

"Gee thanks" I said with think and heavy sarcasm "But I don't think so"

"It's a bad idea, Stefan" Damon agreed

"It's Elena" he stated, knowing that was all he would have to say

"Damn it" I muttered

I really need to stop getting emotionally involved with other people.

"I can't undo the tomb spell, Stefan, even if I wanted to. It took both me and my Grams to undo it the first time" Bonnie said

This was not a good day, I never thought I'd have to talk to Bonnie without insulting her and I sure as hell never thought I would have to ask her for a favor. My life sucks. "But I can open the door, right? I can talk to her?"

"Yeah but Damon's right, she's not gonna tell you anything, not without something in return"

"I never thought I'd say this but Bonnie's right" I said before staggering back a little "Whoa, whiplash, Bonnie's right" I never thought I'd be saying that either

"Really Rachael" Stefan said aggravated "Do you have to do that now"

"You're the one who dragged me into this, I deserve a little joy" I said defensively

Stefan just rolled his eyes and turned to Bonnie again "Bonnie I have to do something. I have no idea who has Elena; I have no idea where she is"

"What if there was another way to find her?" she said with a sense of pride

**Jeremy's POV: **

"How does this is work?" I asked curiously

"I'll use your blood to draw energy for the tracking spell. You're blood related; it'll make the connection stronger"

Things were awkward between us now, really awkward. Last night something happened between us and now neither of us really knew how to act. It was like I was inhaling the awkwardness in the room, making it hard to breathe easily around her. Bonnie didn't understand that this was hard for me too, maybe even harder.

Elena was my sister and her opinion _did_ matter to me. Rachael was my best friend, the one person who made everything bearable, like my own personal prescribed Ibuprofen and she loathed Bonnie, as much as Bonnie loathed her. If she found out what happened between us shed probably puke at the notion of us actually being together and then disown me as her friend.

I would think that Rachael owed me considering I accepted Tyler, somewhat, but Tyler never nearly killed me and gave me a panic attack. That's also part of the reason I hadn't pushed Bonnie, I wasn't sure what to think about that happening. "Alright, Alaric said we've got to clear out of here within ten minutes. I've got weapons, Rachael has weapons, he stocked us up" Stefan said as he and Rachael walked into the room

"Stocked you up mostly, I don't know how to properly use half of those things" Rachael admitted

"Are you ready?" Bonnie asked me

I nodded and then she cut my hand. I have to admit, it's a lot less painful in the movies. My blood fell on the map and merged, zeroing in on Elena's location. "There. She's there." Bonnie said somewhat weakly

"That's three hundred miles away" I said

"No Bonnie. We need a more exact location than that" Stefan said almost frantically

"That's as close as I can get" she admitted, almost ashamed

"We can map it, aerial view will show us what's around there, help us narrow down the area" I volunteered

"Perfect. Call us with whatever you find" Stefan said, motioning to Rachael that it was time for them to leave

"No, no, I'm coming with you!" I said as more of a demand

"Of course you are" Rachael said with sarcasm "And while we're at it we can take you with us to rob the bank of America, no wait, that's still more likely than us taking you to some unknown place with some unknown threat"

"She's right, you're not coming with us Jeremy" Stefan agreed

"No, I'm gonna just sit here. What if she's hurt? Or worse, what if she's…?" I asked, freaked

"She's not" Rachael assured me

"Rachael's right. You two go back to your house just in case. I'll call you the minute I find her"

"Well, you two can't do this alone" I said, worried about their safety

"Clearly you haven't seen me in action otherwise you wouldn't be insulting me like this" Rachael said, almost completely serious

"They won't be alone. Let's go" Damon said after popping his head in the door

"You're coming with us?" Stefan said, surprised

"It's Elena"

"Christ" Rachael muttered, rolling her eyes at the annoyance that is the love triangle between the vampires and my sister before turning back to look at me "Jeremy, could you do me a favor and tell the office that Stefan took me home because I became sick?"

"Sure"

**Damon's POV:**

"Alaric sure likes his weapons" I said conversationally

"Where do you think he gets them all?" Rachael asked curiously

"I have no idea"

I noticed that Stefan has a little bottle with vervein in his hands.

"What the hell is that?"

"I don't know, it's a vervein bomb or a grenade launcher or something like that"

"Weird"

"Unbelievable" Rachael shook her head, looking out the window

Clearly the girl was PMSing about Mason; I knew sooner or later she'd find out. She was already suspicious of me and Jeremy wasn't going to keep the secret from her forever, in some ways those two were like an old married couple…wait, Rachael had Jeremy under her thumb like a puppy and she wasn't having sex with him. They were_ exactly_ like an old married couple.

"Hey, how much further is it?" Stefan asked, not wanting to get into it with Rachael while she wasn't talking about the situation and helping us with Elena

"About eighty miles"

"Who do you think took her?"

"Someone from Katherine's past, she said she was running from someone. They got the wrong girl"

"Thank you for helping me"

"Can we not do the whole road trip bonding thing? The cliché of it all makes me itch"

"That's because to you having emotions is like having genital herpes" Rachael stated casually

Stefan slightly snorted with laughter and I couldn't help but grin slightly for all of about two seconds. The girl was almost as witty as me sometimes, I'd never admit it but she was getting under my skin a little. "Come on Damon. We both know that you being in this car has absolutely nothing to do with me anyway"

"The elephant in the room lets out a mighty roar"

"Do you two have to do this with me in the car?" Rachael asked

"Well, it doesn't have to be an elephant, let's talk about it" Stefan said, always the good guy, ignoring Rachael

"There's nothing to talk about"

"That's not true. I'm sure there is, just get it out. I mean, are you in this car because you want to help your little brother save the girl that he loves? Or is it because you love her too? Hmm? I mean come on, express yourself. I happen to like road trip bonding"

"With me in the car?" Rachael asked, feeling awkward

"Keep it up, Stefan. I can step out of helping as easily as I stepped in" I threatened

"No, you see that's the beauty of it, you can't" he said arrogantly

"You know, I haven't known you two for very long so stop me if this assumption is wrong but isn't trying to sire a bond after hating each other for over a hundred years kind of like chasing the chickens after the fox already ran them out of the hen house and ate them?" Rachael asked, finally raising herself out of her seat enough to eye the two of us

I didn't bother suppressing my grin this time. Sometimes Rachael reminded me of Elizabeth so much it was nearly painful. The compassion, the sense of humor, and the secrecy….and just like that the grin was gone. All of those things probably contributed to her lieing to me and letting me walk around like a fool in love when she knew the kind of person Katherine was. She was supposed to be our best friend

All of this just reminded me of better times, when even when my brother and I were rivals in love I still thought I had everything. Even with a father that didn't think much of me and a war I wanted nothing to do with I felt like it was all going to work itself out. I didn't have to prove myself to Elizabeth or my brother because they saw all the good in me and the bad and they still needed me in their lives. I still felt loved and that's why I never suspected Elizabeth's secrets or deception for a second.

It was all because I still had my brother and a best friend that was capable of making anyone feel special because she saw what made people special, even when they didn't deserve her phrase…..

**TO BE CONTINUED…..**


	32. Chapter 31

**Now I know what you're thinking, "I can't believe that she took so long!" But in my defense, college is time consuming. If you can somehow make a million dollars without it, it might not be a bad idea lol. This one's from a couple different point of views. Now were going to see not only a more innocent time in Damon's life when he wasn't such the sexy badass we know him as now but someone's best friend. I may even have a little surprise at the end for you ;) **

**beachchick3: Just don't get too addicted, there's no rehab for this lol**

**hodhod2011danger: I'm just sorry you had to miss it, hope this chapter makes up for it a little. **

**shippolove844: Thanks, hope you like this one even more than the last :D**

**: You wish it I grant it :D**

**Damon's POV**

**1865**

"I don't know if you know this, but looking like a lost puppy isn't as attractive to women as men think, we prefer the dangerous man who's going to steal us away" Elizabeth said with sarcasm and irritation as she saw me stare at Katherine dancing with Stefan

"Sorry" I said, feeling slightly embarrassed

"Does it really not bother you that she's playing you both like a harp?" she asked in a more serious tone "That's your brother, how do you think your relationship is going to be when Katherine finally chooses, _if _Katherine ever chooses?"

"We both have it in us to be the bigger man and move on-"

"Is that a joke?" Elizabeth asked, shaking her head in disbelief "Look, I know that she's pretty but you know what, so is a wolf, but you don't see me going to try and pet one do you?"

"Don't call her that" I demanded seriously

Her eyes saddened at the look I gave her "Damon, you're a beautiful human being, inside and out, you deserve someone who's beautiful INSIDE and out" she said, looking into my eyes as if she was trying to see into my soul "A girl who looks at you and wonders what they did to deserve having you in her life. A girl who wakes up in the morning and realizes that she really gets to see Damon Salvatore that day and smiles because of it"

I scoffed "Who's going to do that?"

"I do" she said somewhat shyly

I looked at her, suddenly shocked. Did she have feelings for me? "Eliz-"

"Hey, easy, I said I value you, that doesn't mean I'm in love with you" she said, rolling her eyes and easing my tension "I love you and Stefan, you've meant the world to me and I want to see you both happy" she said quietly "You've become my family and adding someone to the group is supposed to add to family not divide it"

I suddenly felt a wave of guilt, even knowing that she was still talking poorly of Katherine "We haven't been very good friends to you have we?" I asked sheepishly

"No, you've both been horrible" she stated bluntly

"I'm serious"

"So am I" she said with a sad smile and a nod "We've been best friends for some time now but then suddenly neither of you can be there for me just because some girl in a dress has come along?"

The wave of guilt became a flood and my frown could have reached the bottom of my chin for it. "I'm sorry Elizabeth, you're right. We haven't been very good friends but I'm going to start making up for that"

"How?" she asked curiously

"Well for starters" I said mischievously before grabbing her waist and pulling her closer for a dance

"Damon, you can't dance" she said

"I can _choose _todance however; I choose not to do it often"

"Damon, this isn't the right dance" she stated

"I don't care if you don't" I shrugged

She smiled "Damon, I might not be madly in love with you, but I still love you like mad you know that?"

"I feel the same way" I smiled back

There was an odd sort of glow I could feel brewing in my heart. Elizabeth made me feel special, like I didn't have to fear anything because I could do anything if I set my mind to it because that was the way she looked at me. I might not have Katherine at the moment but Elizabeth made me feel like I could have her if I really wanted her, like I could have any girl and so I would.

"_Damon" Elizabeth said trying to catch my attention "Damon, Damon-"_

**Present**

"Damon!" Rachael shouted, taking me out of my trance

"We're getting close. Jeremy said there's an access road just past mile marker 6" Stefan stated

"What were you thinking about that made you lose focus?" Rachael asked curiously

"Just reminiscing" I said, brushing the subject off

"Thinking about my grandmother?" Rachael asked "You know, you guys haven't really told me anything about her, what was she like?" she asked

"She was a secretive pain in the ass" I stated

"Don't listen to him" Stefan demanded "He loved her, we both did"

"And neither of you ever…?" Rachael asked awkwardly

"No, we were all just friends. I mean something might have happened if we hadn't become so obsessed with Katherine but-"

"Look, you don't have to ask about her ok Elizabeth clone, if you want a taste of who she was just look in a mirror sometime" I said, rolling my eyes

"Really?" she asked with a smile

"Really" I said somewhat quieter, wanting to grin somewhat and wanting to frown at the same time

I did neither and got out a blood bag instead.

**Rachael's POV: **

I couldn't help but smile as Damon and Stefan talked about Elizabeth and compared me to her, she must have been a great person to have these people love her so much. I could tell Damon loved her too even though I knew he was still mad at her for the lies. Well, it wasn't like he didn't try keeping things from her either but now wasn't the time to mention that.

Damon took out a blood bag and drank from it, causing Stefan to look on hungrily. "Must you provoke him?" I asked, irritated

Elena told me about Stefan forcing himself to drink animal blood, it couldn't be easy for him, I'd compare it to taking a new vegetarian to the meat market. "What if he wants some, he can just ask" Damon smirked

"I want some" Stefan stated almost demandingly, shocking me

"Ah, that's so sweet. You're gonna be all big and strong and save your girl but don't worry, I've got your back. It'll be fine." Damon said sarcastically

"I'm not joking. I've been drinking a little every day. I'm slowly increasing my intake and building up my strength" Stefan said making Damon pass him the bag

"Does Elena know you're doing this?" I asked, not sure what to think

"I've been drinking hers" he said almost sheepishly

"Hmm, how romantic" Damon said with heavy sarcasm before drinking some blood "Since we're road trip bonding, remember the days when all you lived for was blood? You were the guy who ripped someone apart just for the fun of it"

"You mean when I was more like you?"

"Yes Stefan, exactly. Back when you put blood into me so I could be a big bad vampire. I wonder if Elena would be so quick to open her veins to that guy. By the way, what happened to that guy? He was a hoot"

This conversation was surprising me. As much as they talked about their lives with my grandmother they never told me about their own lives or their own experiences after she disappeared. I always wondered what made them this way, how Katherine got them to hate each other.

"I guess he found something else to live for" Stefan said sincerely

I didn't know whether to sigh or gage.

**Elena's POV:**

"Tell me more" I demanded

"Captivity has made her pushy, eh? What do you want to know doppelicious?" Trevor asked almost lustfully

"That's enough of that, leave the girl alone" a woman demanded, walking in

This woman had black curly hair framing her oval face that almost went down to her waist. She was curvy and looked to be about her late thirties and she wore a black blouse with jeans and knee high boots. She had lightly tanned skin and hazel eyes. She was a beautiful woman but that wasn't why I couldn't look away, she looked familiar I just couldn't put my finger on it.

"Anna Maria?" Rose asked

Anna Maria…it wasn't the name that was ringing a bell. "I called but I don't know if I mind that I did it" she said

"What do you mean you minded?" Trevor asked, irritated

"This doppelganger isn't like Katarina; her hands aren't stained with blood. I don't know how I feel about an innocent girl dying for your mistake" she said, getting up in Trevor's face

"You promised" Rose stated "It's for the greater good-"

"The greater good of whom?" Anna Maria asked, raising her voice "Can you live with yourselves? Knowing that someone else died because of you, knowing that it was only with someone else's suffering that you could go free?"

"It might not be her fault that this is happening but it isn't our fault that we've had to run for five hundred years" Rose said defensively

"I'm not saying that it is but that's the problem with being a vampire isn't it? The longer you have to live, the longer you have to live with yourself" Anna Maria said wisely "You might want to think about that" she said before crossing her arms and walking off

She was just so familiar, it was like I knew her in a past life, but I couldn't pin point who she was. "Who was that?" I asked

"Anna Maria, not your concern" Rose said sternly "She promised to help us but her kind are very moral people"

"Moral people, annoying people" Trevor muttered "She suffered a great lose and she's been bitter ever since"

"That's enough!" Rose demanded "Too much information"

"Who were you running from?" I asked "Is she running from them too?"

"Leave Anna Maria alone, she's suffered enough without having to deal with you and no, she's not running, she never runs from anything. She's just helping us deal with the originals"

"Yeah, you said that. What does that mean?" I asked curiously

"The first family, the old world. Rose and I pissed them off." Trevor said

"Mm mmm" Rose cleared her throat

"Correction, I pissed them off, Rose had my back and for over half a millennium, they wanted us dead"

"What did you do?" I couldn't help but ask

"He made the same mistake countless others did: he trusted Katerina Petrova" Rose stated

"Katherine" I gasped

"The one and only, the first Petrova doppelganger"

"I helped her escape her fate and now I'm sorry, we've been marked ever since" Trevor said, bitter himself

"Which is why we're not gonna make the same mistake again. No matter what Anna Maria says" Rose said under here breath

Anna Maria, something about her reminded me of someone but who was it?

**Rachael's POV: **

"Can I ask you guys something?" I asked, not sure if now was a good time to bring this up or not

"What?" Damon asked, staring out the window

"If Katherine was such a heartless bitch, pardon my French, why does it still affect your relationship now? I mean sure you guys have your differences but wouldn't it be better to just forgive and forget?" I asked, treading lightly

"It's a little more complicated than that" Stefan said

"So uncomplicate it. Your brother's, family. Someone else coming into the picture shouldn't divide that, it never should have divided that" I said

"Careful Rachael, your Elizabeth is showing and it's getting on my nerves" Damon said, clearly threatening

"I'm serious" I said, getting annoyed myself "I would do anything to have a family member of my own, just one. A brother or a sister, an uncle or a cousin, I would even be happy with a godfather. I don't have anyone but you two do, why would you want to give that up?"

"Not now Rachael, were almost there" Stefan said, seeing a worn out looking house up ahead

"Whatever, seems like a stupid reason to break off your family for a girl though" I muttered

**Damon's POV:**

"Your brother's, family. Someone else coming into the picture shouldn't divide that, it never should have divided that" I said

"_You've become my family and adding someone to the group is supposed to add to family not divide it"_

I sighed, getting really agitated. Stefan had been right; I loved Elizabeth once upon a time, when she disappeared after I became a vampire I searched for her for years before giving up. A part of me had missed her on and off years ago. I didn't need mini Beth as a reminder of what I lost, not to mention her constant self-riotousness was a pain in my ass.

"Careful Rachael, your Elizabeth is showing and it's getting on my nerves" I said, imploring

"I'm serious" she said "I would do anything to have a family member of my own, just one. A brother or a sister, an uncle or a cousin, I would even be happy with a godfather. I don't have anyone but you two do, why would you want to give that up?"

Because it should have been me, just me and Katherine, because I'm always everybody's second choice. It's because there's nothing more exasperating than a brother who thinks that he's better than you and has everyone else agreeing with him. I hated that every girl that I loved picked Stefan over me so I hated Stefan for it.

"Not now Rachael, were almost there" Stefan said, seeing a worn out looking house up ahead and avoiding the subject

"Whatever, seems like a stupid reason to break off your family for a girl though" she muttered

As we pulled up to the house and silently stopped the car a few feet away Stefan turned to Rachael. "Rachael, I want you to stay in the car for now"

"WHAT?" Rachael and I said at the same time

"We don't know if there's anyone evil in there Damon but they can't be any good of they're willing to just kidnap someone like this" Stefan said

"Wasn't that the whole point of bringing her along?" I asked, implying that he was being stupid, which he was

"Damon's right, we can't seriously be having this conversation in the car, _right_ in front of the house" Rachael said, also implying his stupidity

"I brought you in case of emergencies-"

"Look in front of you Stefan, the whole situation is an emergency" Rachael was almost yelling now

"Rachael, you're getting closer to your seventeenth birthday. Your becoming more out of control with each passing day, if there's someone in there-"

"Stefan" Rachael cut off "I can handle myself, it's not my seventeenth birthday yet, besides, you and Damon will be there"

"She's right, now let's go, were wasting time sitting here when we could be doing something productive, like ripping off someone's head" I stated before we again started getting out of the car

"But-"

"Now!" we said at the same time

**Elena's POV: **

"He's here! This was a mistake." Trevor said, looking like he wanted to pee himself

"No, I told you I would get us out of this. You have to trust me and Anna" Rose said

"Easy Trevor" Anna Maria said, walking into the room "I've dealt with the originals before and if Elijah wants you he's going to have to get through me, my kind scare them"

"No! He wants me dead, Rose!"

"He wants her more" she said, pointing to me

"Can we all just please calm down, panicking isn't going to help anyone" Anna Marie said "Look, if we do this right, maybe no one will have to die" she said confidently

"I can't do this. You two give her to him, he'll have mercy on you but I need to get out of here" Trevor said nervously

"Hey! What are we?" Rose demanded to know

"We're family, forever" Trevor said, becoming slightly less tense

Anna flinched slightly. Her eyes became unbearably sad at Rose's words and I gasped. I had seen that look before a million times when someone mentioned family. I felt like an idiot, looking at her now the resemblance was clear.

**Rose's POV: **

I heard a knock at the door. Even though Anna was here with me I still had to suppress a shiver. Anna Maria had nothing to fear from an Original, they couldn't kill her, they didn't know how to but they could kill us. "You're scared" the doppelganger said, surprised

"Stay here with her and don't make a sound" I demanded, motioning for Anna to come with me

She walked up beside me and we answered the door together, Elijah. "Rose-Marie and Anna Maria, is there somewhere we can talk?" he asked walking in as if we were casual acquaintances

We hadn't seen each other in years but what was years when you were a vampire? "Yes, in here. You have to forgive the house" I said, trying not to sound nervous

"Oh, no, what's a little dirt? I completely understand" Elijah said casually "Hello Anna Maria, it's been a few years"

"Elijah" Anna said, as if the name itself was mud off her shoe

"So tell me, what is it that gives you the courage to call me?" Elijah asked curiously

"I wanted my freedom. I'm tired of running. You in a position to grant me that?" Rose asked

"I have complete authority to grant pardon to you and your little pet. What is his name these days? Trevor. If I so see fit." He said imploringly

"Katerina Petrova?" I asked

"I'm listening"

"She didn't burn in the church in 1864"

"Unfortunately" Anna added

"Continue"

"She survived" I stated

"Where is she?"

"You don't seem surprise by this" Anna stated suspiciously

"Oh, when you called and invited me into this armpit of civilizations, which is a mere three hours from the town we know as Mystic Falls, I surmise it had everything to do with Katerina. Do you have her in your possession?"

"No, but I have better. I have her doppelganger"

"Her innocent doppelganger" Anna added, looking at me accusingly

"That's impossible, her family line ended with her. I know that for fact" Elijah said with disbelief

"The facts are wrong"

"Well, show her to me" Elijah demanded eagerly

"Elijah, you are a man of honor, you should be trusted but I want to hear you say it again" I demanded

"You have my word that I will pardon you"

"No tricks Elijah" Anna demanded "No word play, you say you're going to pardon you do it"

The only person more distrusting of the originals than me is Anna. They were the reason she had no family. She who deserved one more than anyone else I ever knew, who wanted one more than anyone. I knew that if she could she would hunt them down one by one and kill them for what they did to her but we both knew even she couldn't do it alone.

"I will do what I promise Anna Maria, you have my word" Elijah said

"Follow me"

He follows me to the main room. When Elijah looks at her it was like a kid finding a jumbo bag of his favorite candy. He looked at her and smelled her neck. "Human, it's impossible. Hello there"

**Rachael's POV:**

"The house should be just beyond those trees" Damon said "Wait, I got a lot more experience than you do with those sorts of things"

"What's your point?" Stefan asked

"My point is, whoever has Elena is probably who was after Katherine in 1864 and before that"

"And" I asked, wanting him to get to the point

"And it puts them at five hundred years old and strong. Are you sure you two want to do this?"

"Yeah, I'm certain I want to do it" Stefan said

"Me two, it doesn't matter how strong they are, I can take them, I know I can" I assured them, remembering the last time the demon in me took over

"Ego aside, if we go in that house, we may not come back out"

"Alright, then I won't come out" Stefan said as if it was no big deal

"So noble Stefan" Damon scoffed

"I can't think of a better reason to die, but if you both want to stay here, I'll totally understand" Stefan said, looking at me

"I owe that girl a lot" I shook my head "If I'm going to die I'd rather it be because I was trying to save her life than sitting home knowing that I did nothing" I admitted and we walked off with Damon following us

**Elena's POV:**

"We have a long journey head of us. We should be going" Elijah said

I looked at Anna Maria, knowing she would be the most compassionate. "Please, don't let him take me"

She looked at me with sympathy in her eyes, looking between me and Rose. I could tell she was contemplating what to do; she was obviously stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"One last piece of business and we're done" Elijah said before walking towards Trevor

"I've waited so long for this day, Elijah. I'm truly, very sorry" he said sincerely

"Oh no, your apologies not necessary" Elijah said, nearly waving it off

"Yes, yes it is. You trusted me with Katerina and I failed you"

"Oh yes, you are the guilty one and Rose aided you because she was loyal to you and that now I honor. Where was your loyalty?"

"Trusting Katerina is a mistake Elijah but one that many other people have made, it's no one else's fault but hers" Anna said compassionately

"I beg your forgiveness" Trevor added

"So granted"

Trevor smiled and the tension was drained from the room, being replaced by relief. The relief was short lived; Elijah smacked Trevor's head clean off his body. Making Rose and Anna cry out and she covered her mouth and shook her head in disbelief.

"You…!" Rose cried out angrily

"Don't Rose, now that you are free" Elijah said without a care in the world before looking my way "Come"

"No" Anna Maria said with a fearsome growl "We had a deal, no word play but that's what you did Elijah, deals off" she said, stepping in front of me with fire growing in her eyes

"I didn't play with words, I never said Trevor would be the one pardoned" Elijah said "Let's not fight Anna, haven't you gone through enough pain in your life" he said with false sympathy

"Pain you and yours caused" she said with darkness in her voice

I couldn't let this woman be hurt because of me, not if she really is who I think she is. Maybe there was another way to get myself out. "What about the moonstone?" I asked with hope

"What do you know about the moonstone?" Elijah asked, his ears perking up like a puppy

"I know that you need it and I know where it is"

"Elena" Anna Maria warned as Elijah pushed past her to look at me

"Yes?"

"I can help you get it" I offered, becoming more hopeful at the needy look in his eyes

"Tell me where it is" he demanded

"It doesn't work that way" I shook my head

"Are you negotiating with me?" he asked, almost sounding amused at the thought before looking at Rose and Anna Maria

"It's the first I've heard of it" Rose said almost defensively

"And I just wouldn't care enough to ask" Anna Maria said with a sadistic smile

I could feel him trying to compel me but it didn't work, then he noticed my necklace. "What is this vervain doing around your neck?" he asked suspiciously before ripping it off "Tell me where the moonstone is"

I had no choice but to tell him anymore. "In the tomb, underneath the church ruins"

"What is it doing there?"

"It's with Katherine" I had no choice but to say

"Interesting"

"That is enough" Anna Maria hissed before grabbing Elijah and throwing him to the other side of the room.

I gasped; this woman was truly powerful if Elijah was as old and dangerous of a vampire as they said. "What is that?" he demanded, clearly furious for being thrown like a rag doll

"I don't know" Rose said, slightly fearful

"Who else is in this house?"

"The only other person who was in this house is dead now Elijah" Anna Maria spat, "Your guess is as good as ours"

He shoved Anna Maria away to grab me and drag me to another part of the house. Elijah threw me into Rose's arms. "Rose" he said, his voice becoming dangerously low

"I don't know who it is" she said defensively

"Up here" Stefan, o no

**Rachael's POV:**

It was amazing and yet almost terrifying at the same time. He was moving at super speed but it was like time was slowing him down for me so he was just running at regular speed. My transition was coming hard and fast and at the moment I didn't know how to react to it. "Down here" Damon said almost eagerly

Damon stabbed the man in the hand with a stake. He removed it. Elena had disappeared with the women while this occurred and I knew that they were safe, time for my fun to begin. "Excuse me. To Whom It May Concern, you're making a great mistake if you think that you can beat me. You can't. Do you hear that?" I could hear him break a wooden coat rack into a stake. "I repeat, you cannot beat me. So I want the girl, I'm gonna count to three or heads will roll. Do we understand each other?"

I laughed, feeling sinister. This man might not have been completely evil; I hadn't looked into his eyes yet. But I could smell it, almost as if it was new. Innocent blood, innocent blood that he had spilled. I could feel that familiar burn in my eyes, making me see red. The nails, now razor sharp, digging into my palms. Walking out into the open I felt the need for moral vengeance, the need for not so innocent blood to be spilled.

I looked at him, the reason for all the blood and snarled at him. He looked at me in shock "No, it's not possible"

"You'd think" I grinned before grabbing the front of his shirt and throwing it as far as it would go

He landed at the bottom of the stairs and still looked up at me with a daze. "No you should be dead; you're supposed to be dead"

This stopped me in my tracks, did he know me? Before I could begin to think about what he just said, Elena rushed passed me. "I'll come with you, just please don't my friends, they just wanted to help me out"

The man ran up to her, stake still in hand. "What game are you playing with me?" he asked, looking between me and Elena with anger and something close to fear in his eyes

Elena threw a vervain bomb in his face, causing it to explode. His skin burned and he stumbled back but unfortunately he healed quickly. Now _that_ wasn't possible. He moved towards Elena but luckily Stefan shot him with another weapon. It didn't hurt him.

Stefan threw the weapon and rushed at him, causing them to fall down the stairs. The man got up immediately but Stefan stayed on the floor. Damn, this guy was like a cockroach, he just didn't know when to lie down and die. He moved towards Stefan but I ran up to him and threw him against the wall. He looked up at me menacingly, clearly pissed off. "I might not be able to hurt your mother little girl, but you clearly haven't transitioned yet, I will destroy you"

"NO!" A female voice yelled

Suddenly a woman with grey bat like wings came out of nowhere and pushed Elijah against the wall, clearly ready to kill. Damon took this as an opportunity and ran up to the man while he was pinned to the wall to stake the stranger. The woman held him against the door while Damon took it upon himself to stab him further into his chest. She then proceeded to bit into the man's wrist ferociously, causing him to scream in pain. After a few seconds of this the man proceeded to die, still pined to the door with the large wooden stake. The other woman saw this and took it as her chance to run off. Damon saw this and was ready to follow her when Elena spoke up.

"Just let her go" Elena said softly, smiling

She then proceeded to run into Stefan's arms, what a Notebook moment, gag. "Hey come here. Are you hurt? Are you okay?"

"She's fine Stefan" I assured him for her "She's a tuff girl" I said, smiling

She embraced him and looked at Damon and me. She mouthed a "thank you" to us and Damon mouthed a "you're welcome" back, sad that she embraced Stefan but glad that she was safe

I turned around to thank the woman who helped me and stopped in my tracks. Her eyes were a burning red color as she wiped the man's blood off her chin. Her fingernails were razor sharp as were here Saber tooth like teeth. As her face somehow morphed itself back into its normal form I could see the same expression of shock and something close to aw on her face.

It wasn't possible, it couldn't be. "Mom?" I squeaked

"Hello honey"

**It's true! Rachael's finally met her birth mother AND I purposefully left it here! MUAH HAHA, aren't I just evil? Lol. But now things are really going to heat up, someone who's never met their mother before is going to be feeling hostile, don't you think? Reviews are appreciated. **


	33. Chapter 32

**Hey! Sorry I haven't gotten to this story sooner, but the story's been feeling unloved so I haven't been able to keep up with it. I'm back now though so hopefully this will make up for my absence. I hope you guys love this chapter after the cliff hanger I left you with.**

**-Redashrose**

**P.S I have a Once upon a time FF that is rocking! Read it if you like once upon a time **

**shippolove844****: Hope this was worth the wait ;D**

**MoonStarIsle: I will do that for you of course, I'm glad you love this :)**

**MrsMaynard****: This chapter totally happened because of you, thank you so much for wanting this so bad :)**

**X Blue Eyed Demon X****: Thanks for loving this so much :)**

_Previously on Supernatural Secrets_

_I turned around to thank the woman who helped me and stopped in my tracks. Her eyes were a burning red color as she wiped the man's blood off her chin. Her fingernails were razor sharp as were here Saber tooth like teeth. As her face somehow morphed itself back into its normal form I could see the same expression of shock and something close to aw on her face._

_It wasn't possible, it couldn't be. "Mom?" I squeaked_

_"Hello honey"_

**Rachael's POV-**

Why?! Who could I have possibly killed in a past life that made me deserve this? I knew this woman had to be related to me somehow, being an Eurocia only ran in my family but when she started shifting back, the resemblance was too uncanny, it was almost like looking into an adult sized mirror. It was odd, as I looked at her with a look of almost horror on my face; she looked at me like the gates of heaven had somehow just opened up on me." O my God, Rahel"

She opened her arms out to me and I just backed away, shaking my head. She can't honestly think she can just walk in and play mommy after leaving me on some stranger's doorstep like in the movies does she? "My name is Rachael" I stated, in shock

"All the women in our family were born with a Latin name, mine's Channah but it translates into Anna, my names Anna Maria" she said softly, lowering her arms to try to show that she wasn't going to put pressure on me.

"What does that mean to me anymore?" I asked bitterly, shock fading away into anger "You abandoned me"

She stepped forward, making me step back again "It's not that simple" she said her voice becoming desperate "I didn't have a choice"

"There's always a choice" I said, this can't be happening! "And you made the wrong one"

"Please Rach-"

"I can't do this right now" I said, my own voice becoming desperate "It's been a long day; it's been a long _month. _Common Elena, let's get you home" I said, numbly, trying to ignore their shocked and pitted expressions

"Ok" Anna Maria said, looking heart broken. As if she had a right to feel that way. "I'm staying in a hotel in Mystic Falls; I'll be there for a few days and I doubt there are a lot of hotels in a small town like that so…whenever you're ready to talk I'll be there"

"I'll think about it" I said dully "Common guys, let's go" I said dully, walking out the door without a second glance. I could tell the others were looking at her, still shocked.

I couldn't absorb this, I was exhausted, physically and mentally exhausted. We sat in the car in silence until Elena finally broke it, "will you be spending the night at my house again?" She asked, trying to sound casual but not really pulling it off

"No, Damon and Stefan's if it's all right with you two" I said to them

"Won't the Lockwood's be suspicious if you're gone?" Stefan asked

"They're too focused on Mason being missing and Tyler being a werewolf to notice how long I've been gone" I said numbly

"So…what happened to all that 'I would do anything for a family member crap I heard earlier?" Damon asked boldly

"Damon!" Elena and Stefan said at the same time

"Hey! I have no family because my mother abandoned me! You have no family because you're pathetic for fighting over a girl for over a century!" I said, anger pouring out of me like lava from an erupted volcano "Don't start with me right now or I swear my size six and a half boot will be knee deep up your ass before you have time to notice!"

"Ouch, when did kitty get claws?" Damon asked sarcastically

"That's it!" I yelled before unbuckling my seatbelt and proceeding to grab the back of Damon's hair and shoving his head forward and slamming it back against the head rest.

"Rachel!" Elena nearly shrieked and she pried me away from Damon's head

"Rachael, this can't be easy for you" Stefan said soothingly "But taking it out on Damon isn't going to make the problem go away. Look, you can't exactly be around Tyler for a few days anyway, why don't you stay at our house for a few days, well cover you with Mrs. Lockwood and say you're staying at Elena's"

I let out a deep breath and slumped back against the seat. I wanted to scream and cry, I wanted to throw things and yell at Anna for abandoning me. But another part…another really small part wanted to ask what I did to deserve her abandoning me the way she did. Stefan and Damon's house was the only place I would feel safe now. "Ok, thanks Stefan"

"Don't worry about it Rachael, we'll figure it out" Elena said, patting my arm to try to make me feel better

"I don't know what to do" I admitted, still trying not to break down "She's the only one who might understand what I'm going through, she's transitioned. I want to know what I should do to get through it but…I don't want to go to her"

"You won't" Stefan promised me "Were going to keep you safe Rachel, you don't have to talk to your mom about anything if you don't want to"

"But what if she's the only one who can stop me from killing people?" I asked

The car got really quite after that, no one else considered that. We all wanted to ignore my birthday and pretend it wasn't coming up in a couple of weeks but it was inventible. "Look" Damon said quietly "We still have Elisabeth's journal, there must be something in there so just…calm down, ok?"

I sniffled a little but I was starting to feel better. I don't get to really see any sign that Damon cares about me, they're so rare but they always made me feel good. "Ok"

Stefan dropped Damon and me off before taking Elena home. We walked in and Damon started talking as soon as the door shut behind us "So your room is up there, I have a feeling you're going to be staying with us the next couple of weeks a lot so we might as well make that room your semi permanently and we know that Rose-"

"Damon" I stated "Can you just shut up for a second so I can stop myself from  
spontaneously combusting, thank you" I said, running my fingers through my hair

"Whoa Rach-"

"What are we going to do Damon!?" I asked, my emotions busting out of me like the bursting of a damn after it started cracking first "I have two weeks until I turn into Jeepers Creepers twin sister, we don't know where that woman back there is or what she wants, my mother's back in town-"

"Rachael-"

"What could I have done to deserve this Damon?!" I asked, getting angry "What did I do to deserve her coming back when I was finally ok, when I've accepted the fact that she's gone!? What did I do to deserve her giving me away?" I asked, completely breaking down and starting to cry

"You didn't do anything Rachael" Damon assured me, grabbing my arms "Ok, I don't want to hear you blaming yourself for her mistake again. You deserve better than what she did to you so stop crying" he demanded in an almost pleading voice "this will work out, she will leave town, and we will figure out how to stop you on your birthday, I promise"

I've never known Damon to be an emotional person I've rarely seen him show affection towards anyone who wasn't Elena but he was being good to me now, this day was just too weird. What was even weirder was that I went in for a hug and Damon accepted the embrace! I sniffled into his shoulder for a good ten minutes before Stefan showed up again. "You ok Rachael?" he asked, breaking the silence of the room

"I'm feeling a little less sorry for myself, thanks" I said, wiping some of the stray tears still on my face

"We'll figure it out" he assured me "Why don't you get ready for bed" he said, sounding like a concerned older brother "We have the guest bedroom ready for you"

"Thanks" I said before walking upstairs

"Where's Elena?" I heard Damon ask

"She's home" Stefan said

"And you're here why?"

"Because she wanted to be with Jeremy" I hoped Jeremy was ok, being stuck with Bonnie the wonder bitch had to be tiring.

"Here" Damon stated, probably giving Stefan some scotch or whiskey

"Thanks. Listen, what Rose told Elena about the curse and with Rachael's mother back in town…"

"I know, we'll keep her safe" I couldn't help but feel cherished at that moment, I was really starting to feel a little better

"You know, the only way we're gonna be able to do that is if we're not fighting each other. Rachael was right; we let Katherine come between us. If we let that happen with Elena, we're not gonna be able to protect them."

"Yes Stefan, I heard it all before" I couldn't see them but I just knew Damon was rolling his eyes

"Hey"

"What?" Damon asked curiously

"I'm sorry"

Ops, I should probably tune out now.

"About what?"

"For being the guy who made you turn 145 years ago" O who am I kidding, there was no way I was going to miss this

"Enough Stef, it's late. Don't need to rehash that."

"You know what? I've never said it out loud. I guess I just need to say it and you need to hear it. I'm sorry. What I did was selfish. I didn't want to be alone. I guess I just needed my brother.

Ahhhhhhh.

"Rachael are you listening?" Damon asked abruptly

O crap, did I say that out? "No" I mumbled

"Well as long as you're going to be up and about you might as well help me in the library" Stefan said with false casualness, I knew he wasn't making a suggestion

"Crap" I said bluntly before going back down stairs and following Stefan to the library.

Now, I knew their house was big and fancy but a huge library in the house! Forget spending the night I'm moving in. "Whoa" I said, clearly impressed

Stefan just smiled indulgently "I thought you might want to look as Elizabeth's journal" he said, going to a shelf and picking out a worn out looking red and gold book and handing it to me

"Thanks Stefan" I smiled and hugged him

"Don't mention it, it rightfully belongs to you anyway" he said

I was just about to open the journal and start reading when suddenly we heard a rustling sound, much like a vampire running at super speed. Stefan grabbed a stake and pulled me behind him. "Who's there?" he demanded to know

The woman who was with my mother walked in. "I'm not here to hurt you" she said almost as if she was talking to frightened puppies, she looked at me in wonder "You look so much like your mother"

"Why are you here?" Stefan said abruptly, covering my from her view

"Lexi once told me that you're one of the good ones" she explained

"You knew Lexi?" Who's Lexi?

"Trevor was my best friend. For 500 years I have lived with one person and he's gone and I don't want to run anymore because I don't have anywhere else to run to. Also, Anna Maria is my closest friend now that he's gone; I want to be where she is and help her if I can"

"Well, I'm sorry but we can't help you" he said, not really sorry at all most likely

"I don't need your help but I think you need mine. Elijah may be dead but this isn't over." She said, her voice becoming worried

"What do you mean "it's not over"?"

"It isn't over. The originals, they'll come for them. They have to, Elena's the doppelganger and she's got fresh demon's blood running through her veins, that stuff can increase a witch's power tenfold. They're doing it for him." She stated

"For who?"

"Klaus" she said, Stefan tensed instantly

"What do you mean, my blood increases witches power?" I asked, getting out of Stefan's cover

"Your blood is good in potions, the right mixture with your blood can make potions no one has ever imagined possible" she explained, moving closer "But it only works before your transition, that's why Anna gave you up" she said, her voice getting softer "The originals didn't know about Anna's existence until after she transitioned but she had to make it look as though you died during pre-mature labor. Now that the originals know about you they'll be after you and we might not be able to stop them"

I looked at Stefan, his eyes a reflection of my own concern, what am I going to do now?

**The next day- **

The next morning I woke up running late for school and exhausted. Needless to say this whole "Originals" deal has me super spooked and it made it hard for me to sleep even though Stefan promised I was safe for the night. I heard the doorbell ring just as I was running downstairs.

"Hello, Elena." Damon said

"Is Stefan here? He called. He said it was important." She said before noticing I was there "Rach', you look-"

"Like crap" I said, stating her thought "I know"

Living with the Lockwood's, I got to use the best products and wear the best clothes. I haven't slept properly and I'm stuck wearing the clothes I wore yesterday, which were really wrinkled today. I wore no makeup and my hair was up in a ponytail. Yeah, I looked like crap.

"I was going to say-"

"Save the attempt to salvage my pride Elena, I couldn't care less what I looked like today anyway" I muttered, lack of sleep made me cranky

"Ok" Elena said awkwardly

"Right this way" Damon said, letting his arm out so both of us could pass by him

She entered the house and we all went into the living room, Stefan was waiting for us there. "Hey"

"What is this about?" Elena asked curiously as Rose walked in

"You" Elena said, surprised

We all got more comfortable and sat on the couch so that Rose could talk without feeling awkward. "Okay, you have to understand I only know what I've picked up over the years and I don't know what's true and what's not true. It's the problem with all this vampire crap but Klaus, I know he's real"

"Who is he?" Elena asked

"He's one of the originals, he's a legend" Damon said

"From the first generation of vampires" Stefan explained

"Like Elijah?" Elena asked

"No. Elijah was the Easter bunny compared to Klaus. He's a foot soldier. Klaus is the real deal. He's also the reason Anna Maria had to give up Rachael all those years ago" Rose explained, looking at me

Clearly she was hoping I would open up to my mother.

_Fat chance! _

"Klaus is known to be the oldest" Stefan said, ignoring Roses comment towards me

"Okay, so you're saying that the oldest vampire in the history of time is coming after us?" Elena asked, looking at me

"Yes" Rose stated

"No" Stefan said

"What they're saying is, I mean if what she's saying is true…" Damon said, clearly trying to ease Elena's worry

"Which it is" Rose said, growing exasperated

"And you're not saying it so I don't kill you?" Damon added

"Which I'm not"

"Then we're looking at a solid maybe"

"Except for the Anna Maria thing" Rose said

"Would you let it go, I'll talk to her when I talk to her" I demanded, clearly becoming annoyed

"Look" Stefan said, interrupting for my benefit "Elijah's dead, right? So no one else even knows that you two exist"

"Not that you know of" Rose corrected

"That's not helping" Damon said, growing annoyed as well

"Look, I've never even met anyone who's laid eyes on him. I mean, we're talking centuries of truth mixed with fiction. We don't know if he's real. For all we know he could just be some sort of stupid bed time story" Stefan said

"He's real and he doesn't give up" Rose said imploringly "If he wants something, he gets it. If you're not afraid of Klaus, then you're an idiot"

"Alright, we're shaking. You made your point" Damon said, rolling his eyes

Elena got off the coach. "Where are you going?" Stefan asked

"School, I'm late" Elena said as if Stefan hadn't told her that a killer vampire was possibly after us

"Let me grab my stuff, I'll go with you" Stefan said, getting up too

"It's okay, I know where it is" she said, walking off

"She's in denial" Damon said to Rose when Elena left

"Shut up, Damon" Stefan demanded "Rachael, do you want to go to school today? We would cover for you if you didn't"

After taking another good look at how grimy I was, combined with knowing that my mother was in town and that an ancient vampire could be out for my blood (no pun intended) I really wasn't in the mood for school. "I don't think I'm up for it today" I admitted

"Good idea, you look like you rolled out of a dumpster" Damon said

"Have I ever told you how charming you are?"

"No"

"Good" I said "Stefan, would you mind bringing me some decent clothes? I can't risk seeing Tyler right now"

"Sure, I'll grab them and be right back"

"Thanks" I said, sinking back into the coach

This was going to be a long day.

After Stefan brought me some clothes I took a shower and walked downstairs to find a crying Rose. I walked up to her and pit an arm around her, I couldn't say whether or not I approved of her yet but she just lost someone close to her, she deserved some kind of sympathy. Of course Damon had to step in and ruin the moment. "Alright Rosebud, we need some answers. Oh please don't tell me you're crying 'cause your buddy Trevor lost his head"

"Damon!" I exclaimed

"You've always been this sensitive?"

"I hear he had a heart once" I said with a smirk

"Full vampire switch for this very reason, takes the emotion out of it" Damon said, almost as if he was proud of himself

"Yeah, you switch yours, I'll switch mine" Rose said sarcastically

"Is that a dig?"

"Damon" I said imploringly, he was always pushing his limit

"It's an observation. Being in love with your brother's girlfriend must be difficult" O snap

"I'm starting to like you" I grinned

"I'm not in love with anyone"

"Bull"

"You want to try that again?" Rose added

"Don't get on my bad side" Damon warned

"Then show me your good side"

I snorted "He doesn't have a good side to show"

"How do I find Klaus?" he asked, through with the games

"You don't find Klaus, he finds you" Rose stated

"Come on. Somebody's got to know somebody who knows where he is, right?" Damon asked

"Add another two hundred somebodies to that and you're still not even close" Was she starting to have fun with this?

"Humor me. You got in touch with Elijah, how did you do it?"

"Through a very low somebody on the totem pole, a guy name Slater in Richmond"

"Perfect. I'll drive" Damon stated "Good thing you got dressed Rachael, looks like were going on a road trip" I might have protested but I really needed the distraction

"No. You forget not all of us can do sun" Rose said matter of factly

"Then you drive. Come on. Get your purse Rachael"

"I don't own a purse"

"You should get one"

Douche.

**Stefan's POV:**

I couldn't help but worry about Elena and Rachael but I knew people might get suspicious if all of us weren't here. Frankly, I didn't know who I was more worried for, Elena was in denial and Rachael was stuck in the house with Damon, it couldn't get much worse than this.

"Stefan!" Caroline said, walking up to me in a rush

"Hey" I said bluntly

"Hey. Uh, I need to talk to you. Where are you going?" she said, possibly twitchy

"…Well, Elena went home sick; I just want to go check up on her"

"Ditch her" she demanded

"I'm kind of worried about her" I said, was something weird about this situation?

"You know what? Of course you are. Go ahead, I'd… you know what? We can talk later" Uh oh

"Uh, talk about what?" I couldn't help but start to get suspicious

"I might have done something"

"What did you do?"

"Told Tyler I'm a vampire"

Why is it that when somebody uses the words "It can't get much worse" the universe always has to prove him or her wrong?

**Rachael's POV:**

"Back entrance, how convenient" Damon said as we pulled up to a quaint little coffee shop.

"That's the point. We can't all have little daylight rings"

"Call me crazy but I thought that since bitches were always around whether you wanted them or not, witches who could make daylight rings would be to" I said

Damon chuckled "I like bad mood Rachael, how do you know this Slater guy is even here?" he asked before I could rebuttal

"I called him. He's here. He's always here"

"Good"

"A little weird but convenient" I nodded

Suddenly though, Damon pushed Rose up against the wall. Leave it to him to stop us all from getting along. "Just one thing, if you're setting me up in any way, I will rip your heart out and shove it down your throat. It's something I'm very good at"

"Damon, must you threaten people first and ask questions later?" I asked, getting annoyed

Rose then suddenly caught him and pushed him up against the car "I'm older than you and stronger. Don't get on my bad side" she said before releasing him "You can trust me"

Is this some kind of weird foreplay for you two?" I asked

"I changed my mind, I don't like bitch Rachael"

"Reality's a bitch isn't it?" I asked with a grin as we entered the coffee shop

"Whoa. What about the sunlight?" Damon asked as the bright light streamed in

"Double paned and temped. UV rays can't penetrate. You see the appeal now?" Rose asked as a guy I could only assume was slater joined us

"That and the free Wi-Fi" he said sarcastically

Rose hugged him "Hey, how are you?"

"Good. I saw you come, what are you doing here? And why haven't you introduced me to this yummy mortal" he asked, stepping closer to me

Damon shoved him away "I wouldn't go barking up that "mortal's" tree if I was you" Damon said

"Mmm, it's a long story but I want you to meet…"

"Damon Salvatore. Turned 1864 in Mystic Falls by Katherine Pierce aka Katerina Petrova." He said "And unless appearances deceive me you are Rachael Moore"

I gasped, stepping back as Damon stepped forward "How do you know me?"

And why is it that everyone knows about my mother after she appears out of nowhere?

"I don't but it makes sense, you're just as beautiful as your mother, I use to hit on her all the time too" he said kindly, was that some sort of weird compliment? "So I take it I was right, what I told you about the tomb under the church was true?"

"Yes. It was right. Thank you for the tip"

"It's nice to meet you, maybe. Definitely nice to meet you" he said, looking from Damon to me "What's going on Rose? Where's Trevor?"

**Stefan's POV: **

"Sorry to drag you here but if I don't eat, I get those kill innocent people urges. Tyler totally has those too by the way" Caroline said

"Yeah, what else did you say to him?" I said, irritated

"Not much. I was trying to keep the questions to a minimum. Are you mad?"

What was your first clue? "Yes Caroline. As a matter of fact, I am a little mad. I mean, you put yourself a risk and who knows how this will affect Rachael and Tyler's relationship. If Damon finds out…"

"But you're not gonna tell him, are you?" Caroline asked, suddenly nervous

"No, of course not, he would kill you" I stated, surprised she would even ask

"Always looking out for me" she said fondly

"Yeah, well, you don't exactly make it very easy on me"

"Then why do you do it? Why are you such a good friend to me?"

"I don't know. I guess you… you remind me of someone, my best friend, Lexi." I admitted

"I… you have a friend?" she asked, sympathetic and yet surprised all at once

"You say that with such a discouraging amount of surprise, Caroline." I said, almost rolling my eyes

"No I just… sorry. I just… tell me about her" she asked gently

"I will, some other time. I got to go" Elena needs me

"Wait! No! What do we do about Tyler? About Rachael? About Rachael and Tyler? I don't want Damon to kill him 'cause there's a full moon coming up and Tyler is totally freaking out about it" she warned

And the bad stuff just keeps pilling up.

**Rachael's POV:**

"And you're sure Elijah's dead?" Slater asked, hurting

"Beyond dead" Damon stated, God he could be such an asshole sometimes

"Were sorry" I said sympathetically

"Trevor was a good man; he helped me with my dissertation on sexual deviance in the Baroque period. I was schooling for my Psych PHD"

"Slater's been in college since '74" Rose explained

"When I was turned, I have 18 degrees, 3 masters and 4 PHD's."

"Very impressive Dr. Slater" I said, trying to lighten the mood

"The point?" Damon rolled his eyes

"Exactly, I mean, what is the point? What should I be doing with my eternity? If you have an answer, please enlighten me"

"I think that answer is something we have to answer ourselves Slater but were all looking for it" I assured him

He smiled a little "You sound just like your mother"

And just like that my sympathy was near gone.

"We need your help" Rose said before I could reply "If someone wanted to get in touch with Klaus, how would you hook him up?"

"Craigslist" he stated

"Really?" Damon and I asked, shocked

"Seriously, I respond to a personal ad to get sent to somebody who knows somebody who knows Elijah, who's dead and that's where my connection ends"

I shivered suddenly, something was nearby, I could feel it. "What?" Damon asked

"There's something nearby, something the demon in me doesn't like" I admitted, suppressing another shiver

"Stay close to me and don't look at anyone else" he demanded, moving his seat closer to mine as he looked around the coffee shop

"Ok" I said, growing nervous

"Here's what I don't get" Damon said, looking and talking at the same time "Elijah moved around during the day, which means the originals knew the secret of the day ring. Now why would Klaus want to lift the curse of the sun and the moon?"

"To keep the werewolves from lifting it, if a vampire breaks the sun curse then the werewolves are stuck with the curse of the moon forever and vice versa" Slater explained

"But werewolves are extinct" Rose stated

"True. I've never seen one but rumor has it..."

"Not such a rumor" Damon said, slightly awkward

"Mystic Falls? God, I've got to visit this place. It sounds awesome"

"You're not like other people, are you Slater?" I asked

"Awesome doesn't even begin to describe it" Damon said before he could reply "Can we stop the curse from being broken at all?"

"What do you mean?" he asked

"Well, if we make the moonstone useless, would it stop the curse from being broken?" Damon asked

"Well, yeah, probably but why would you want to do that?" he asked

"Tell me how" he demanded, ignoring the question

"You think I'm gonna help you figure out how to do something that will piss off an original? And keeping them from walking in the sun?" Slater asked with a raised eyebrow as if he wasn't sure that Damon was serious

"You want to walk in the sun? I can make that happen if you help us" he promised Slater

"He's right you know" I assured him, Bonnie the bitch could at least do that much

Suddenly, all the windows broke and the sunlight poured in and Rose's and Slater's skin started burning like they pressed their faces against a stove. Rose and I started screaming and Damon ran outside but whoever did it was obviously long gone. Damon threw a jacket over Rose face and picked her up "Come on" he said, taking Rose out of the Coffee shop and into the back of the car.

"You're gonna be okay" he told her

"I know"

"Who's behind that?"

"Whoever is behind that is probably the person who made me so uneasy in there" I stated, more to myself then them

"I don't know. Where is Slater?" Rose asked

"Iowa by now, who the hell knows? No wonder he got along so well with your mother, every one of them is a runaway.

"He's not behind this, he's a good guy, he wouldn't betray me and don't talk about Anna Maria like that" she said defensively

"Who did it?" Damon demanded

"It's Klaus, don't you understand? You don't know this man, we're dead, we're all dead" she started crying as her face healed

**Elena's POV:**

"He killed them, my entire family, just to get back at me for running. Whatever you do to escape Klaus, he will get his vengeance on your friends, your family and anyone that you've ever loved" Katherine warned me

"No, look at me. No, do not listen to her, okay?" he said, trying to calm me down as I built myself up to blow

"Always the protector but even you must realize that she's doomed. There's nothing you can do to stop it unless of course you have this" she said, showing us the moonstone

"What?" I nearly whispered

"Oh no, there it is. It's the ultimate lie, isn't it? You spun this whole thing so that we would have to get the stone from you, didn't you?" he asked, glaring at her with distrust

"I didn't spin anything, Stefan. It's the truth" she said

"No, let me guess. You want to trade that stone for your freedom, you manipulative, psychotic bitch" he asked, growing more angry

"My freedom? That's where you're wrong, Stefan. I don't want my freedom because when Klaus shows up to kill us all and he will, I'll be in the tomb, where no vampire will enter because they can't get out. I'll be the safest psychotic bitch in town" she said braggingly as she retreated back into the tomb

Even though Katherine wouldn't admit it, I knew she felt bad about losing her family. This made me think of Rachael and her mother. What if it really was the original's fault that they were separated? Can Rachael really live with not knowing her mother?

**Rachael's POV: **

When we got back to the house I immediately sat sown on the coach while Damon brought us scotch. "I'm sorry about today. I didn't know that was gonna happen" she said sincerely

"I believe you" Damon said

"I wish we could save you and Elena. I know that you want to" she said to me then Damon

"And I will" he stated, not looking at me as I smiled at him

"You remind me of Trevor" Rose told him

"Why? Why him?" he asked curiously

"Because he always talked a big game, he was always working on an angle but underneath it all, he was the best friend anyone could hope for" she said, her voice becoming sad as she reminisced

"And where did that get him?" Damon asked

"Dead and my loyalty to him almost got me dead too" she admitted

He gave us the scotch and raised his glass. "To friendship" he said and we downed the scotch

"You're right to fight it, the way you feel about her" Rose said, looking to Damon "But I don't think your right fighting your mother" Rose said to me

"And why's that?" Damon asked

"Because if you want to survive, you need to not care about anyone" Rose told him

"And why would you tell me not to fight my mother, she abandoned me-"

"Because she had no choice" Rose said forcefully before she softened her voice "I was there when you were born Rachael and I had to watch the light fade from her eyes when she gave you away" she said making a motion with her hands "She did what she did because she loved you, if any of the dangerous vampires out there knew about your existence you would have been in danger at all times"

This made me quite and Damon spoke up "Caring gets you dead, huh?"

"It might just be time to turn the switch off your emotions" she said to Damon before she turned back to me "Rachael it's your decision, I care about your mother but I care about you too, just remember that your mother loves you more than anything" she said before looking at Damon again

"I will if you will" Damon told her with a lustful look

"And that's my cue to leave" I said, making a quick exit

I went back up to the guestroom to think. Should I talk to my mother, I had resented her for so long. But after always lecturing Stefan and Damon about not letting stuff get in the way of family, maybe I was being a hypocrite now. I just wish I could think of what to do about this, I wish I knew what I should think, what I should feel.


	34. Chapter 33

**Hey guys! Sorry for the wait but I had a good excuse!** **My computer broke down and all my documents were lost! I had to wait weeks for it to get fixed and all my documents were lost! They had to take it all the way to California to fix it! The fix took two weeks on its own! But I'm back now and promise to get everything updated soon. Thanks for being so patient with me 3**

**shippolove844****: Thanks, I'm glad you think so; hopefully this was worth the wait too.**

**Rachael's POV- **

Days like this it was hard to remember that I had other duties, like school, hell, days like this it was hard to remember that school was significant. When you're dealing with your mother suddenly coming back into your life, your vampire friends falling in love with the same girl, and said girl turning out to be a doppelganger that has the first vampire in history coming after her other stuff becomes less important. On top of all that, the only guy I've ever really cared about is going to be turning into a werewolf around the same time I'm going to turn into a full Eurocia, school tends to become less important to you after that. Funny considering that was once the only thing I ever wanted, to go to school and have a normal life.

Never the less, I was going to school today and walking to lunch with Jeremy. At least I could talk to someone about what was going on. "What! Your mother's here! Possibly the strongest being in Mystic Falls, and she's staying in a hotel!?" Jeremy said, almost yelling

"Keep your voice down!" I said nervously "But yes, she's here with Rose, the vampire"

"Wow, what do you think about this?" he asked, concerned

"I don't know" I answered honestly "They keep telling me she didn't have a choice and I want to believe them but for some reason it's…hard, you know?"

"Yeah, damn, I'm sorry Rach', that really sucks" he said sympathetically "I wish I knew what to tell you, I don't think it's my place to tell you what you should do in this situation but I can say that I've got your back, no matter what you decide"

"Thanks Jer'" I said, feeling slightly better

When we got near the middle of the outside cafeteria there was suddenly a big gust of wind, making my hair blow strait into my face and the leaves hit my sweater. Suddenly we could see Bonnie the wonder witch with some guy and it made me uncomfortable for some reason, almost as if they caused the freaky wind. Jeremy motioned with his head to follow him and he walked up to Bonnie, some kind of glint in his eye. "What's with that weather, huh?" he asked almost suspiciously

"It's global warming, man. I don't know. I got to go. See you later, Bonnie." He said before walking off

I already don't like him "Bye, Luka"

"Bye"

"Bye Luka" I mimicked flirtatiously, clearly teasing Bonnie

Bonnie glared and Jeremy nudged me halfheartedly before saying "The guy is weird, huh?"

"If it walks like a freak..." I shrugged, not usually one to judge but something about him rubbed me the wrong way

"He's not a freak but I guess it would take one to know one" she said casually, making me want to snarl

Before I could respond though, I heard Bonnie's phone ring, her eyes widened as she looked at the text. "What is it?" Jeremy asked curiously

"It's Damon"

Uh oh

**Tyler's POV-**

I was playing basketball when I saw Rachael and Caroline heading outside, they seemed to be talking pretty heavily about something until her eyes locked with mine. She smiled and waved sadly before starting to walk off. She's been avoiding me since the party but I couldn't take it anymore, she didn't run from me when she saw me change and I still liked her. I didn't want to stop seeing her but what if she was just in shock and didn't want to see me anymore? If so, she should at least say it to my face. So I ran after her.

"Rachael" I said loudly, easily catching up to her and Caroline

"O hey Tyler" she said awkwardly, obviously not sure how to react around me

"Listen, can I talk to you for a second?" I asked, eying Caroline

"I'll be by the basketball courts" she said with a wave, walking off

"Where are you going?" I asked curiously, noticing she was heading to the parking lot

"Something came up at Elena's so I'm going to go check to see if they're ok" she explained

"You've been hanging over there a lot lately, I haven't seen you all week, and you're always with the Gilberts or with Damon and Stefan-"

"I'm making new friends is all" she said, I could tell she was lying

"Look Rachael, if you're freaking out about what happened last week I under-"

"What?" she asked, surprised "No, no Tyler it's not that it's just…Something's come up" she said weakly

"What? What could have possibly come up that's more important then-"

"My mother's in town" she blurted out

That shut me up for a good few seconds. "Your mom as in…Your mom?" I asked, dumbstruck

"Yeah, my birth mother, she's here for a few days and wants to see me" she said, her eyes filling up with hurt and confusion

"Jesus Rach' I'm sorry" I said, not knowing what I would do in her situation

"Yeah, me too" she said, looking like she was trying not to cry

"Rachael-"

"I'm sorry Tyler, I can't do this now. I really have to go but, maybe we'll talk later?" she said with a shrug

I nodded and she kissed my cheek before walking off.

Maybe it was the werewolf in me but I really just wanted to find Rachael's mom and rip her throat out. What kind of mother gets a girl as amazing as Rachael and then just throws her away like she's garbage? And what if she does decide to forgive her mother and leaves Mystic Falls forever?

Where the hell do we go from here?

**Rachael's POV- **

My head was already spinning from my conversation with Tyler. Being at Stefan and Damon's house now and having to deal with this new information too, I was getting a headache. Like I didn't have enough on my plate without dealing with Katherine being an incompliant bitch. Also avoiding Tyler was easy when I had other stuff to focus on and I never had to see him. Seeing him, knowing we were going through something difficult and we couldn't go through it together just…hurt. 

I couldn't focus on that now though; just take it one cast at a time. I zoned back in on Bonnie as she spoke. "I might be able to lower the tomb spell long enough for you to get in there and grab the moonstone from Katherine." She assured us

"How?" Jeremy asked with concern "It took both you and your Grams last time, and look what happened to her."

She narrowed her eyes at him "I'm well aware of what happened. I've learned a few new things."

"Bonnie…" He looked so worried…

"How will you get it?" she asked Stefan, ignoring Jeremy's question

"She hasn't been feeding. She's weaker. We're not." He said with confidence as Damon raised his blood bag just to prove Stefan's point

"You wouldn't be underestimating her, would you?" she asked with a raised eyebrow

"It's a plan. Is it perfect?" he scoffed "What plan is?"

"Let me do it." Jeremy suggested "I've got my ring. I can get in; get out, no spells necessary."

"O my God that's brilliant" I said sarcastically "Damon why didn't we think of that?"

"I don't know Rachael, maybe because were not idiots?" he said with just as much sarcasm

"O yeah"

"Why are you even here?" Damon asked Jeremy condescendingly

"I don't even know why we're having this discussion" I interrupted before they could get into it "Hello, I'm an Eurocia" I pointed out "I can get in and out without the help of a witch"

"You're still in transition, you could and probably will Kill Katherine in the process" Jeremy argued

"I still don't see the problem" I shrugged and folded my arms almost indifferently

"Like it or not I know that your humanity is still important to you Rachael and it's important to me too because your my best friend" Jeremy said

I couldn't help but smile a little and Bonnie glared at me as she looked between us, almost as if she was jealous. "Easy Prince Charming" Damon rolled his eyes "As much as I hate to admit it, he's right Rachael, the closer it gets to your birthday the harder it's going to be for you to control your temper. You could kill an innocent person in the process if you try to kill Katherine and I know that will bother you"

I huffed "This sucks, why can't my birthday just be over already" I said annoyed as the others (excluding Bonnie) looked at me with sympathy

"Maybe I can help better the plan." She offered "Do you have anything that belongs to Katherine?"

Damon and Stefan exchanged looks, we have a plan.

Stefan walked out of the room and came back with a picture of a woman you would have though was Elena if you hadn't seen her hair strait. "This belonged to Katherine. Found it with her things after I thought she was dead, but it was hers." Stefan stated, holding out the portrait

"Ok, I have to ask, why did you keep it?" I said curiously, raising my eyebrow

"I thought I could turn it into a dart board" Damon explained

"Ah" that made sense

Bonnie took the portrait and placed it in a ceramic bowl. She then took a glass of water and dipped her fingers in it. She let the water from her fingers drip into the bowl and flames burst out of it. Bonnie closed her eyes as I jumped back. That bitch could've warned me! She knew I hated fire! She ignored my obvious fear and started chanting in what I assumed was Latin.

"What will this do?" Damon asked curiously as Stefan put an arm on my shoulders for comfort

Bonnie opened her eyes and watched the picture burn "I can turn the metal into ash. Blow the ashes on her, and it'll incapacitate her for a minute or two. Long enough for you to get the stone and get out."

Suddenly I could smell something like iron and it quickly disappeared. I looked at Bonnie wiping her nose secretly and my eyes narrowed. Was she hiding something?

**Third POV-**

Caroline and Tyler walked through the woods after talking at the basketball courts and Tyler felt the need to bring up Matt after what happened. "Matt's bumming pretty hard."

"I know. It's better this way." She said sadly, she missed Matt but she couldn't risk him getting hurt

"I get it" Tyler said, nodding

"You do?" Caroline asked curiously

"Yeah, you can't be honest with him." Tyler said and they both stopped and exchanged looks. "It's not really fair to be with someone and not really let them know who you are. I get it" he said and Tyler could tell they were both thinking about his relationship with Rachael.

Tyler was thinking about how much he could tell her before she ran off yelling monster and Caroline wondering if he should tell Tyler that Rachael wants to be with him but couldn't. Tyler started walking off and Caroline followed. "Right over here. There's a cellar that goes to our old property."

"I know" Caroline stated

"You do? Tyler asked, surprised

"I know that this is the old Lockwood property" she shrugged, not wanting to give anything away

She wanted to tell Tyler everything, at least for Rachael's sake. She could tell that they really liked each other but it was impossible now that Tyler was a werewolf. But didn't he deserve to know why? That it wasn't his fault? But she knew that wasn't her decision to make, it was Rachael's.

"Watch your step." Tyler said as they walked down the cellar and he turned on the light.

**Rachael's POV-**

Bonnie was pouring ashes onto the end table; I had to take this chance since we were alone. "You're pushing yourself to hard aren't you?" I asked demandingly

"What?" she asked, to shocked to retort

"I could smell the blood Bonnie and I was a runaway for six years, I know what fatigue looks like" I said, folding my arms across my chest

"Rachael-"

"Bonnie I don't want you doing this if you're just going to run yourself into the ground" I hissed

Now she could retort "Why do you even care?"

"**I** don't but Elena would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you and…I know what it feels like to keep pushing yourself until you think you might drop and even though I don't like you that much…I don't want that happening to you either" I admitted

Bonnie looked taken aback by my display of kindness but her eyes softened slightly "Thanks but I can take care of myself, let's just get through this and I promise I'll rest ok? But you can't tell anyone"

I sighed "Fine, but I will tell if this gets any worse" I threatened right before Stefan and Damon showed up

"Still got to get the torches" Stefan said

"Alaric's stake gun's in my trunk. Bonnie?" Damon asked

"Go ahead. I'm almost done" she said

"Rachael, want to give me a hand?" Damon said and I nodded and followed them out

**Anna Maria's POV-**

I've kept myself cooped up in this room for about two days now. I didn't want to go out there and risk running into my daughter if she didn't want to see me. More than that, I'll bet everyone she knows, knows I'm here now and I didn't want them looking at me with their judgmental eyes. I knew I did the right thing when I gave her up…at least I thought I did.

The truth was, I had no intention of giving Rahel up when she was born. She was so beautiful and with her father dead she was really all I had. But then I found out that killing the father of my child wasn't enough, they had to go after my child too. I had no choice but to fake her death and give her up. Rose was there with me when I did it; I know it took everything she had to keep me from breaking into a thousand pieces when I watched that family take her in as their own. I wanted to go and take her back but I knew that wouldn't be fair to her or safe. The originals would do anything for her blood and they knew she was powerful, in the wrong hands my daughter could've become a weapon of mass destruction.

The more I thought about it the more I worried, Elijah was very powerful, if killing him was really that easy, how could he have lived this long? And if somehow we didn't kill him that would mean that he was still alive and would've told Klaus about my daughter! "I have to find Rachael!" I shrieked and ran out of the room

**Rachael's POV- **

We stood outside the tomb and I was continuously resisting shivers, something in me didn't like what was nearby and I knew what it was. Finally Bonnie showed up with what we needed. "Sorry I'm late. I had to grab the grimoire from home"

"Jeremy couldn't take the pressure, huh?" Damon asked

"I could've sworn he'd be with you" I said, puzzled

"He said he'd be here." Bonnie said, just as curiously

It wasn't like Jeremy to not show up, at the least to make sure I didn't do anything reckless or that released my inner demon.

Bonnie and Stefan walked downstairs into the tomb. I knew I was stuck up here because they wouldn't want to risk me seeing her. Damon was about to follow but froze when he heard his cell phone ring. He got it out and put it on speaker. "Not a good time, Rose." He said, rolling his eyes

"_Don't be angry with me."_ She pleaded

"Why, what did you do?" Damon asked, his voice close to sounding panicked

"_You need to get to Richmond immediately"_ she said nervously

"Rose what's going on?" I asked

"Tell me."

**Bonnie's POV- **

I'd never thought I'd think this in a million years but I wish Rachael was here; she'd get Jeremy out of there or kill trying. She was even being half way decent today. But then I remembered she probably wouldn't be so decent if she found out I might have feelings for her best friend. "Where the hell are Damon and Rachael?" Stefan asked, voicing my thoughts out loud

"We can't wait; we have to get him out of there." I said frantically

"She's fed, she has her strength back." Stefan reminded me

"We still have what's left of the ash" I said, handing him the envelope "Do you think you can get close enough?

He took the envelope "I don't have a choice."

"It's gonna take me some time." I said, wishing for Rachael for the second time before remembering that she could just as easily kill Jeremy in her rage as save him

"How long?" Stefan asked

"I don't know, a while." I hated myself for saying it

"Just get me in there as soon as you can" he demanded before walking away

**Rachael's POV-**

When Rose told us what Elena had done I was SO pissed! I get it, worrying about the ones you love was a part of life but trying to get yourself killed was a piss poor way of repaying that love! When we got into the apartment I was trying to keep hold of my temper unsuccessfully as I began to literally see red as my eyes started burning. "What were you thinking?" I yelled as soon as we barged in

"What are you doing here?" Damon added, equally angry

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked, clearly shocked before Rose walked in "You called him?" she asked angrily

"I'm sorry, Elena." She said before looking at me with a worried expression as my eyes still burned

"You said that you understood." Elena said, clearly feeling betrayed

"She lied." Damon said in his famous "Duh" tone before some girl that looked like a potential stripper walked in

"Damon Salvatore…and is that a Eurocia?" she asked, amazed

Really, does everyone have to know what I am now?! "Get rid of her." Damon demanded, annoyed

"No. Way." She said, looking at us like she was star struck and making me uncomfortable until Rose dragged her out of the room

Well, At least the shock made my eyes stop burning so I knew my eyes were giving me away anymore. "Come on. We're leaving." Damon demanded

"No" she said stubbornly

"O, I'm sorry, did he say, were leaving if it pleases you your highness?" I asked sarcastically, still pissed

"I said we're leaving" Damon said again

"I'm not going with you guys" she shook her head

"You do not get to make decisions anymore." Damon said, irritation growing

Elena scoffed "When have I ever made a decision? You and Stefan do that for me. Now this, this is my decision"

"You know, maybe there's a reason you don't make the decisions" I said snarkily, making Elena glare at me

"Yeah and who's gonna save your life while you're out making decisions?" Damon added

"You're not listening to me, Damon. I don't want to be saved. Not if it means that Klaus is gonna kill every single person that I love." She said, looking between me and Damon

I was touched but this wasn't going to happen "Get your ass out the door before I throw you over my shoulder and carry you out myself" Damon demanded

Damon grabbed her arm but she struggled and released herself from his grip "No!"

She threw an angry punch but Damon grabbed her fist and moved in towards her "Don't ever do that again" he said in a voice that could easily mean death "Watch her" he told me and I nodded before he walked away towards the room Rose was in

I just gave Elena a deadly glare, my eyes flashing, whenever it looked like she was about to do something stupid, stopping her in her tracks every time. Eventually Rose joined us and Elena started glaring at her, still feeling betrayed. Finally Damon came back through the double doors to the living room. "Time to go. Alice is soundly sleeping and won't remember a moment of this horribly stupid day." He said, aggravated

"Thank God" I stated, getting up

Sadly, fate wasn't interested in giving me a break today as the front doors burst open and three men walked in, three men that made my demon start flaring up. I growled and they took a step back until they saw Elena and took a step forward.

"We're here to meet the doppelgänger." One of them said, his eyes never leaving mine as my eyes really started to burn

"Thank you for coming." Elena said, trying to take a step forward until Damon pushed her back

"I will break your arm" he threatened

"There's nothing here for you" he told the man threateningly "Now leave before I sick the Eurocia on you" he demanded

Normally, I wouldn't appreciate him talking about me like I was a dog but I was too busy trying to keep myself in check to care. Suddenly though, one of the men dropped to the floor, dead. Elijah! He ran at vampire speed towards them, looking from one to the other. Rose gasped and ran at vampire speed out of there. Elijah looked at us and even though I wasn't looking at him directly in the eye, I was still having trouble holding onto myself. I was getting worse.

"I killed you. You were dead." Damon said with disbelief

"For centuries now" I heard him say cockily "Who are you?" he asked the guy who was talking

"Who are you?" he asked, shocked

"I'm Elijah"

The air became chiller as he said it "We were gonna bring her to you, for Klaus." He said, now speaking respectfully "She's the doppelgänger. I don't know how she exists, but she does. Klaus will want to see her."

"Does anyone else know that you're here?" he asked as if this whole situation was no big deal

"No" he assured Elijah

"Well, then, you have been incredibly helpful" he said before I saw him rip the hearts out of their chest like it was nothing, making me want to scream or lose control. He held their hearts in his hands like a sicko for a few seconds before letting them drop. Damon Stood in front of me and Elena, prepared to fight but Elijah surprised us all by running out of the apartment at vampire speed. We exchanged shock glances before Elena looked at me, "I think you scared him off"

Did I?

Things got quiet as Damon drove us home, dropping us off at Elena's house. I walked up with them, knowing Damon would want me to spend the night with Elena in case she thought it would be a good idea to run off again. She sighed, "Thank you for bringing me home"

"Well, your ride left you. I didn't want to leave you stranded." Damon said as we stopped at the front porch

"She was just scared. She didn't mean to run." Elena defended Rose

"Yes, she did. She's been running for 500 years. She's got Rachael's family beat by a mile, no offence"

"Non-taken" I said

"I can't believe Elijah's alive. Why do you think he killed those two vampires and just let us go?" she asked, confused

"If I had a dollar for every time some evil vampire surprised me." Damon stated and Elena started walking to the door before Damon caught her to make her look at him. "What you did today was incredibly stupid."

"Actually, the only thing that was stupid was that I got caught." She said with annoyance, wriggling her arm out of his hand. "I don't question why you, Rachael, Stefan and everyone else try so hard to save me. You shouldn't question why I would try to save all of you."

"Yes we should, because we have the ability to save you, your just acting stupid" I said angrily

Jeremy opened the door suddenly, stopping her from retorting "Damon, good night, okay?" she said before moving to go inside before I grabbed her arm, making her look from me to where I was staring at. Jeremy.

He looked from me to Damon, looking like he wanted to beg for forgiveness "What?" Damon asked as if he didn't really want to hear the answer but had to

"It's Stefan" he said weakly

Crap.

**Third POV-**

"Where's Luka?" Elijah asked, curious but not really caring as long as he would get what he wanted again

"Asleep." Jonas stated in a way that made it clear he was saying "You better not wake him up"

"Your shadow spell was successful." Elijah couldn't help but say, impressed "I was able to track that girl. However, I did have a little run in with one of the people that killed me." Elijah said

"I assume he didn't live to tell about it." Jonas asked with a raised eyebrow

"Actually, I spared him. He'd die before he'd let anything happen to her or his best friends granddaughter. They all would. They'll be kept safe."

"For now" Jonas stated with uncertainly

"Well, that's precisely what we need them to be." He said, looking back at Jonas "Safe"

Elijah looked back out the window and thought about Rachael, Anna Maria's daughter. O how he loved her once, until Klaus set his sights on her and ruined any chance he had. No, Anna Maria couldn't be in love with a monster like me when she was monstrous enough on her own. Then she ran off and met the girl's father and everything was ruined, I couldn't have her no matter what because no matter what I was to her it wouldn't change the fact that her husband was the father of her child.

Elijah knew he could've taken Rachael but even looking like a monster she still looked like her mother. "Anna what did you do to me?" Jonas heard Elijah but didn't say anything

**Rachael's POV- **

"How could you be so stupid?!" I yelled at Jeremy, furious that he would risk his life like that

"Rachael-"

"No, you don't get to talk, do you have any idea what could've happened? What would've happened if Damon hadn't taken me with him? I would have ripped Katherine's heart out and who knows what else!"

"It's not like I tried to screw up Rachael" he said defensively

"Any moron can try to screw up, hell, sometimes I think you and your sister have a gift for it" I said, to pissed off to filter my words "What I want is to see you try to not screw up, is that too much to ask?"

"Well I'm sorry, pardon me for being worried, I didn't realize it was such a crime" he said growing angry

I was still too angry to be touched "I know I'm a little dangerous right now but that's not an excuse for-"

"It's not always about you and Elena Rachael!" he said angrily before realizing what he was saying

That's when it suddenly hit me. The jealous glare I got from Bonnie, the sudden protectiveness whenever she was around, I was just too worried about everything else going on to notice. "O my God" I said in a dazed tone

"Rachael, I'm so-"

"How could you?" I asked, shock wearing off into anger "You mean that risking your life and getting Stefan trapped in that tomb was all for Bonnie?!"

"Rachael-"

"When?"

"When what?" he asked, taken aback

"WHEN DID IT START, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN KEEPING THIS FROM ME?" I screamed

"Rachael, I'm so sorry, it started at the masquerade and I've been trying to find a way to tell you ever since but I knew you wouldn't approve-" he said desperately

"Of course I wouldn't approve, she's an evil bitch who nearly killed me" I shrieked "But it wasn't like you approved of Tyler either-"

"It's not like you told me about Tyler either!"

"That's because Damon beat me to it!" I yelled, my eyes starting to burn up again "And I can't believe that after everything we've been through, you couldn't expect the same courtesy you gave me, I HATE Bonnie but I would've sucked it up if she made you happy, just like you did for me!" I yelled

"Rachael-"

I was too far gone this time, I was too angry. I could feel my eyes burn brighter and the venom begin to soak up the inside of my mouth like Listerine. The feeling of helplessness, that he didn't really care about me welled up and made my mind fuzzier "WHY would you do that to me, WHY JER'?" I screamed, seeing a nearby lamp on the stand by the couch and throwing across the room

I could feel a sudden gust of wind before I saw my mother get close to Jeremy. "Just back away slowly Jeremy" She demanded as she looked at me with worry

"What-"

"Her birthday's approaching, that means her temper is just going to get shorter the closer it gets. No force in heaven or hell can calm her down right now"

I slowly began to register what she was saying as I lifted my hand, horrified, to see my nails had grown and sharpened in to claws and I looked across to wear the lamp shattered and saw my reflection in one of the mirrors to see my eyes glow red and my teeth extended to that of a saber tooth's. "I'm a monster" I said quietly in my shock and horror

"Rachael-"

"Stay away!" I screamed, putting my hand in front of my face, trying not to cry

Before anyone could react, I bolted towards the door. I hated myself for being a monster, for risking my best friend's life and for not having better control, I hated everything. "RACHAEL!" They both yelled

But it was too late, I was already gone.


End file.
